Pedro Neto: Liverpool's Lingering Transfer Interest

Two years on from Liverpool’s first serious flirtation with Pedro Neto, the story refuses to disappear.

Back then, Anfield officials held talks with the winger’s camp while he was still at Wolves. The groundwork seemed promising. The profile fit. The door was ajar. Then Chelsea arrived with their chequebook and Neto walked through a different entrance, leaving Liverpool – and more than a few of their former players, Jamie Carragher among them – wondering what might have been.

Now, as Liverpool scour the market for wide forwards again, Neto’s name is back on the board.

‘Would jump at it’

On Anfield Index’s The Transfer Show, journalist Dave Davis lifted the lid on where things stand. Liverpool, he said, are hunting not just one winger but several. The wide areas are the priority. That has been the plan all summer.

There is another key detail. Liverpool are once again working closely with super-agent Jorge Mendes. One of Mendes’ clients: Pedro Neto.

“He is very distinct, Neto, if I’m trying to be positive about this,” Davis said, picking apart the Portuguese international’s profile. “He is a carrier, his passing is good. He is a crosser. The cross expected threat, 95th percentile. The cross value added, 93rd percentile.”

The numbers back that up. Neto, now 26, has made 103 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 19 times and playing a starring role in their Club World Cup triumph a year ago, when he struck three goals at the tournament. His game leans heavily into delivery, progression and chance creation rather than pure end product.

On the key question – would Neto actually come? – Davis didn’t hesitate.

“Our info is getting this stood up today. Neto would jump at this. They nearly did him when he was at Wolves.”

He did, however, admit he was “poking holes” in the idea, hinting at the complications that always lurk behind a headline link.

Quality on the ball, questions in front of goal

Neto’s talent is obvious. The issue is just as clear.

His Chelsea scoring record in the Premier League is modest: nine goals in 69 league appearances. For a player touted as a potential successor to Mo Salah on Liverpool’s right flank, that return will raise eyebrows.

To put it in context, Cody Gakpo – heavily criticised for spells of inconsistency last season – hit nine goals across 52 games in all competitions for Liverpool. The Dutchman took plenty of heat for that output. Neto, operating further forward and more frequently in wide attacking roles, has not exactly outgunned him.

The counter-argument lies in the underlying data. Neto ranks highly among his positional peers in the Premier League for creative metrics, according to Fotmob’s 2025/26 numbers:

• Pass completion: 87.3% (89th percentile)
• Successful crosses: 1.29 per 90 (88th percentile)
• ‘Big chances’ created: 0.41 per 90 (81st percentile)
• Assists: 0.2 per 90 (78th percentile)
• Chances created: 1.8 per 90 (78th percentile)
• Successful dribbles: 1.6 per 90 (76th percentile)

This is a winger who reliably moves the ball, beats his man and supplies danger. He may not be a 20-goal wide forward, but he shapes attacks and stretches defences. For a side that will need to reinvent its right flank when Salah eventually departs, that profile has clear appeal.

Neto also offers flexibility. Right wing is his natural home, yet he can switch to the left or operate centrally if required. In a Liverpool squad built on fluidity and rotation across the front line, that versatility matters.

Chelsea, rivals and reality

There is another layer to this: Chelsea’s willingness to sell to a direct rival. History suggests it is not a deal-breaker.

Kai Havertz and Noni Madueke made the jump to Arsenal. Mason Mount crossed the line to Manchester United. Stamford Bridge has not been a closed shop when it comes to strengthening fellow members of the traditional ‘big six’.

Neto’s Premier League experience adds weight. He would not be a gamble on adaptation or physicality. He knows the league, the tempo, the scrutiny.

Yet the obstacles are significant. Chelsea’s valuation. Liverpool’s own budget and priorities. The optics of buying a player whose goal record, on paper, does not scream “Salah heir”. The fact that Liverpool are exploring multiple winger options, not just one, and keeping an “alternate list” ready.

Neto, by all accounts, would seize the chance if it came. The admiration at Anfield has never completely disappeared. Mendes is back in the conversation. The pieces are on the board.

Whether Liverpool choose to move them is another matter entirely.