Arsenal had interest in Chelsea's new signing, but coach Mikel Arteta has shifted focus to a potential Barcelona player.

Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, recently made a move to sign Pedro Neto, the new star of Chelsea from Wolves. However, Arteta has now changed his mind and is looking to bring in a different winger to Emirates Stadium.

In a surprising turn of events, Chelsea secured a £54m deal for Neto, who had been a long-term target for Arsenal. The Portuguese forward signed a seven-year contract with Chelsea, which will keep him with the club until 2031. He made his debut for Chelsea in their Premier League match against Manchester City last weekend and also played in their Europa Conference League victory over Servette on Thursday.

Neto joined Wolves from Lazio in 2019 and has since scored 14 goals in 135 appearances for the club. He was a crucial player for Wolves during most of his time there, but injuries had also sidelined him on multiple occasions.

Reports suggest that Arsenal was willing to let go of Neto due to concerns over his injury record, despite their strong interest in him. However, it was later revealed that Arsenal's interest in Neto was genuine, with David Ornstein from The Athletic confirming that the Gunners had even made an offer for him during his time at Wolves.

Arsenal had been linked with Neto last summer and during the January transfer window, but they will now have to look for other options to strengthen their wing position. Arteta is determined to sign a new winger who can either provide cover for Bukayo Saka on the right or challenge players like Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard on the left.

According to transfer expert David Ornstein, Arteta and Arsenal are interested in Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams. The young winger has been linked with a move to Barcelona, but it seems like he will remain at Bilbao for another season before securing a big-money move next summer. Williams, who starred for Spain in their successful Euro 2024 campaign, has caught the attention of clubs all over Europe.

While Arteta is keen on bringing in a new winger, his priority remains signing a new midfielder. There have been reports that Arsenal is close to securing a deal for Real Sociedad's Mikel Merino. The Gunners have already signed Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna this summer and could also be looking to bring in a striker to provide competition for Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

Club legend Paul Merson expressed his surprise that Arsenal did not make a stronger effort to beat Chelsea to the signing of Neto. He believes that Neto would have been a great addition to the Arsenal team and could have taken some of the workload off players like Saka and Martinelli. Merson also praised Chelsea for their quick and quiet move to secure Neto, stating that it was a shrewd signing for the club.

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