Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly been offered the chance to secure the services of Brazilian goalkeeper Neto from Barcelona.
According to Duncan Castles on The Transfer Window Podcast, as quoted by Tribal Football, Neto continues to be linked with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur over a late move in the summer transfer window. In fact, the Premier League duo have been offered the chance to sign the Barcelona outcast by his agent Kia Joorabchian.
Neto joined Barcelona from Valencia in the summer of 2019, replacing Jasper Cillessen, who went the other way to the Mestalla. Since arriving at Camp Nou, the 32-year-old has had to suffice with the odd appearances here and there apart from regular outings in cup competitions, playing second fiddle to Marc-Andre ter Stegen for the most part.
To date, Neto has turned out 17 times for Barcelona, keeping seven clean sheets in the process. The veteran Brazilian shot stopper, though, is now keen on securing regular game-time in the coming season and is, therefore, eager to leave Barcelona. There has been no shortage of interest in him either, although Kia Joorabchian has now offered him to Arsenal and Tottenham.
Arsenal and Tottenham both have previously shown an interest in signing Neto before turning their attention away from the Barcelona goalkeeper. And now, Tottenham do not appear to be in need of a new goalkeeper, despite the departures of Joe Hart and Paulo Gazzaniga.
That is because Spurs have signed Pierluigi Gollini from Atalanta, with the Italian international likely to be a long-term successor for Hugo Lloris. However, unlike Tottenham, Arsenal can still do with a goalkeeper, seeing as they are yet to replace Mat Ryan since the end of his loan move.
While the Gunners have been linked with plenty of goalkeepers in the last couple of months, they have not made much of a headway in landing any of their supposed targets, although Neto remains an option worth considering for Arsenal. And as per Duncan Castles on The Transfer Window Podcast (h/t Tribal Football), the Barcelona goalkeeper has been offered to Arsenal and Tottenham.
“”[Barcelona have] been trying to shift players out. They’ve barely been able to get any significant deals done. Probably the most significant are Trincao to Wolves on loan and Junior Firpo who they sold to Leeds for €15m. They’ve got guys like Philippe Coutinho and Neto who Kia Joorabchian is trying to move elsewhere at present.”
“Neto, some of you might not even know what position he plays in, he’s the reserve goalkeeper at Barcelona. He’s been offered to Tottenham and Arsenal by Joorabchian as a signing for this season. As the reserve goalkeeper he’s on a salary of €4.5million net.”
What now remains to be seen is if either of Arsenal and Tottenham end up doing anything about being offered the chance to sign Neto. For now, what remains certain is that the Brazilian goalkeeper would like to leave Barcelona, although his next destination remains unclear.