Tottenham Hotspur Eyes Cody Gakpo and Pedro Neto for Attack Boost
Tottenham Hotspur’s search for more firepower has taken them across the Premier League – and now right into Chelsea’s dressing room.
Roberto De Zerbi wants another attacker before the window shuts. Spurs have already moved aggressively, lining up deals for Manchester City pair Savinho and Omar Marmoush after a bruising start to the season that saw them hammered 3-0 by Brentford on the opening weekend. The need for cutting edge is obvious. The response is just as urgent.
Gakpo the priority, Neto the alternative
Cody Gakpo remains a key target. Tottenham are exploring a deal with Liverpool for the Dutch international, but there is no agreement in sight and no guarantee one will come. The negotiations are complicated; the clock is ticking.
So Spurs are working off a broader list.
If Gakpo proves unattainable, attention could swing towards Pedro Neto at Chelsea. According to Sky Sports, the Portuguese winger has been identified as one of the main contingency options, part of a pool of forwards Spurs are tracking as they scramble to add goals and versatility to De Zerbi’s front line.
Neto, 26, does not come cheap. Chelsea value him at around £100m, a figure that reflects both his importance to the squad and a market shaped by big-money moves for wide players this summer. He is not officially on the market, but he is not ring-fenced either. For the right price, Chelsea would listen.
Chelsea’s dilemma: value, rivals and a packed squad
This is a very different Chelsea under Xabi Alonso. A new manager, a raft of signings, and a squad still being carved into something coherent. Neto has already been asked to do a bit of everything – operating at wing-back and across the attacking line as Alonso experiments with combinations and structures.
That versatility makes him valuable. It also makes the decision over any sale more delicate.
Letting him leave to a direct London rival this late in the window would be a bold call. Inside Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have benchmarked Neto’s price against other wide players who have moved in recent months. They know his worth in this market and have acted accordingly.
There is outside interest too. Al Hilal sounded out a move but, as reported by Fabrizio Romano, backed away after deeming the fee too high and turned their focus towards Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli instead. Saudi money was not enough to test Chelsea’s resolve at the current valuation.
The player’s own stance sits in the background. Would Neto push to join Spurs? Would he trade a role in Alonso’s evolving project for a move across the capital into De Zerbi’s rebuild? Those questions remain unanswered, but they will matter if Tottenham decide to move from admiration to a formal bid.
Busy exits at Stamford Bridge
While Neto’s future hangs in the balance, Chelsea are already deep into trimming Alonso’s squad.
AS Roma have seen a loan offer for Jamie Gittens rejected. Mykhailo Mudryk, back on the pitch this summer after the resolution of his doping case, is expected to leave on loan as well. Leeds United have already had one proposal turned down, and more clubs are circling.
All of this feeds into a frantic final stretch of the window at Chelsea. Outgoings are the theme. The club want to streamline the group for at least the first half of the season, clearing space and noise around Alonso as he tries to stamp his identity on a new-look side.
Whether that clear-out ends up including a £100m winger and a high-stakes deal with a London rival is the question hanging over the last days of the market – and one that could reshape attacking plans at both Stamford Bridge and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
