According to The Express, Arsenal face a major battle to sign Barcelona goalkeeper Neto – and that may just drive up the price.
It’s claimed that the Gunners want to sign Neto as competition for Bernd Leno. Mikel Arteta does already have Emiliano Martinez, but seemingly wants a higher-calibre backup.
Neto is allegedly a target for that role, after he was made available by Barcelona. However, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Real Betis and Sevilla are also thought to be interested.
That could make a deal for Neto a little more expensive than hoped, which won’t be ideal for Arsenal now as they look to cut spending this summer.
The global pandemic is likely to cut into transfer budgets. If Arsenal have limited money to spend, it’s unlikely they’ll get involved in a bidding war for a second-choice goalkeeper.
Neto, 30, only joined Barcelona in a €35million (£31million) move last summer, but could leave after making just four appearances for the club. A similar situation arose for the Brazilian at Juventus; he impressed for Fiorentina but struggled for game time at Juventus, then showed his quality again at Valencia.
Neto seemingly feels that he shouldn’t be a second-choice goalkeeper, having previously shown his ability as a number one. Therefore, it’s hard to see him taking a role behind Leno at Arsenal.
Additionally, Mundo Deportivo noted that Arsenal are going for Paris Saint-Germain’s Alphonse Areola rather than Neto, so we’re not expecting an Arsenal move to happen for the Barca man.
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