Man City, Liverpool ready for summer bidding war as Pep favourite wants ‘jaw-dropping’ salary bump

Manchester City are the latest club to be linked with Wolves winger Pedro Neto, while Phil Foden wants a ‘jaw-dropping’ pay rise. Here’s Gossip…

MAN CITY JOIN NETO RACE

Wolves winger Pedro Neto is one of the most sought-after players in the Premier League right now. Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Newcastle United have all been strongly linked over the last couple of months and a summer move feels inevitable.

Gary O’Neil’s side will not want to lose the Portuguese winger but will also be licking their lips at the prospect of a summer bidding war, with Treble winners Manchester City added to the mix.

The Telegraph reckons Wolves want bidding to start at £60million, claiming that City and Liverpool are ‘admirers’ of the 24-year-old, who has two goals and nine assists in 19 Premier League appearances in 2023/24.

‘Intense interest from several clubs’ is expected and the Cityzens scouting department ‘rate Neto highly’. Injuries have been a real issue for the player, however. He has missed an alarming amount of football during his time at Wolves and limped off during his side’s win over Fulham on Saturday. If anything is going to hold clubs back from signing him, it will be his injury record.

SOLANKE WANTED BY HAMMERS

Another Premier League star who has garnered admirers this season is Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke, who missed the opportunity to net his 15th league goal of the season from the penalty spot against Sheffield United on Saturday.

Given his massively underwhelming stint at Liverpool earlier in his career, Solanke has been written off by many, with recent rumours linking him to Arsenal laughed off. However, it looks like he is ready to lead the line at a big club and several are believed to be keeping a close eye on him.

The oh-so-reliable Football Transfers says that West Ham are very keen on landing the 26-year-old and are prepared to offer him a contract worth a whopping £115,000, which is significantly more than what he earns at the Vitality.

Interestingly, the report emphasises David Moyes’ desire to land Solanke, noting that he met family members during a recent match between West Ham and Bournemouth. The Scottish manager is not expected to be in charge of the Hammers next season.

Nonetheless, talks with the striker’s representatives have been held and Moyes is clearly a big fan of him. It is believed that the Cherries would be willing to sell their star player for around £45m – which would be ‘an offer they cannot afford to turn down’ – but are hoping for something closer to £60m.

FODEN WANTS CITY PAY RISE

Phil Foden doesn’t want to sit on the bench for another five years, does he?

From two players attracting transfer interest to one attracting praise from everyone and their dog, Foden has been outstanding in 2024, inspiring Manchester City in recent wins over Brentford and Manchester United, to name a couple.

It is good to see a Cityzens graduate come through and star in the first team when the club has a bottomless pit of money and have bought so many players in his position, and both parties are eager to agree a contract extension, according to Football Insider.

Unsurprisingly, Foden ‘wants to extend’ his deal but is eyeing a ‘jaw-dropping’ salary that would see him match the top earners at the club. Given his growing importance under Pep Guardiola, it feels like the European champions will want to get this deal over the line.

With three years left on his current contract, the England playmaker ‘is set to open new talks’ and there is a ‘willingness’ to reach an agreement, with the player currently earning around £200,000 per week.

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