Arsenal could use Myles Lewis-Skelly in a swap deal for a player Mikel Arteta has long admired

Myles Lewis-Skelly has reportedly been offered to Arsenal’s Premier League rivals.

The 19-year-old Hale End graduate, who started the Champions League final in May, could now be sold this summer.

When putting two-and-two together, Arsenal could be considering a swap deal that would not go down well with the fanbase, to say the least.

Over the weekend, it was reported that Arsenal are interested in Pedro Neto, with Chelsea open to selling him for around £70million.

Well, given Arsenal’s need for a winger, and Lewis-Skelly’s estimated value, could Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta be thinking about a potential swap deal?

Arsenal may use Myles Lewis-Skelly in a swap deal for Pedro Neto

We know that Arteta has long admired Pedro Neto, back from his Wolves days. Now 26, the Portuguese winger is fast, direct, capable of playing on either flank and effective in transition. There is at least some degree of suitability there then.

And after missing out on Vinicius Jr and Morgan Rogers, Arsenal still want to sign a winger and Neto, at least on paper, addresses that need.

But is he actually good enough? He’s a decent player, sure. He’s quick, he can create, and although his availability has generally not been reliable, he did play 34 of Chelsea’s 38 Premier League games last season.

He does a job. But that’s sort of the problem. Nothing really ‘pops’ with Neto. He’s not a reliable goalscorer, and we’ve likely already seen how good he can become.

Arsenal have spent all summer pursuing players who would genuinely elevate the squad, players who move the needle. Neto isn’t that. He just fills a gap.

Sacrificing Lewis-Skelly for him — and again, this is just speculation — would quite frankly be a scandalous decision by the recruitment team.

Letting a player as talented as Lewis-Skelly leave would be a terrible mistake, particularly to a direct rival.

There may not be any clear solutions for Arsenal in terms of their left winger signing now. But they shouldn’t panic.

In fact, they would be much better off sticking with Gabriel Martinelli or trying to make Eberechi Eze work out there than bringing in someone like Neto.