Exclusive: Attacker “universally liked” by Chelsea scouts – but there’s one concern | OneFootball

Chelsea’s attempts to sign a top attacker this summer have so far led to nothing – but we’re not worried just yet.

Firstly the market has been very slow all around. The combination of FFP and PSR regulations really kicking in, plus a lack of liquidity at the top of the market caused by the Euros slowing down business between the top clubs has meant that few teams have really made major moves yet.

Secondly, we already have a lot of attacking players on the books – we want any additional signing to be really well considered and certain to improve us.

According to the sources of our writer Simon Phillips however, there is one attacker who is “universally liked” by Chelsea scouts – Wolves winger Pedro Neto. He has apparently “joined the attacker shortlist for this summer.”

Apparently “agents have reached out to Chelsea to see if they would be interested in Neto, and the response was yes.”

Pedro Neto in action for Wolves in the Premier League.

The one stumbling block

If that’s the case, why have things not advanced more quickly than they have? It seems there’s still one major stumbling block which is preventing unanimous appeal leading to an actual bid – the Wolves man’s injury record.

“Neto is a player who is liked universally by Chelsea scouts, recruitment guys, and the hierarchy and has been for some time. They’ve had close eyes on him all season but as said, are concerned about his injuries.”

It’s a reasonable concern, especially when you consider he’s going to cost a serious chunk of cash. At a lower price, it might be reasonable to gamble that his issues have cleared up. But spending a major part of your budget on an attacker from a fellow Premier League team requires some certainty you’ll get a return on your investment.