The link is a personal one as much as a footballing one: Maresca coached Neto during his own spell in charge at Stamford Bridge and has now asked Manchester City's hierarchy to explore whether that relationship can be renewed at the Etihad, where the Italian succeeds his old mentor Pep Guardiola, reports The Sun.
It would mark City's second major move of the summer following the British transfer record £116m capture of Elliot Anderson, with Jeremy Monga's arrival from Leicester the only other significant addition so far.
City face competition from AC Milan, who have identified the 26-year-old as their leading target to replace Rafael Leao amid doubts over the Portuguese forward's own future in Serie A. Any Milan move for Neto is contingent on Leao leaving first, with the funds from that sale needed to help finance a deal for the Chelsea man.
Neto's representative Jorge Mendes has also offered him to Saudi club Al-Hilal, though a move to the Middle East is not considered realistic at this stage of his career, with the player himself understood to prefer staying at the top level in Europe.
Chelsea's valuation sits at £70m, and while the club regard Neto as a genuinely important part of their squad rather than a makeweight, sources suggest that stance is not entirely fixed should a sufficiently large offer materialise — particularly with the club having already committed £117m to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa this summer and needing to manage the books accordingly.
Neto joined Chelsea from Wolves in 2024 for an initial fee of around £54m and has since won the UEFA Europa Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup during his time in west London, contributing 10 goals and 10 assists in 52 appearances across all competitions last season.
Neto's contract at Stamford Bridge runs until 2031, giving Chelsea a strong negotiating position regardless of any interest from City or Milan, and he remains contracted well beyond the point at which the club would need to consider a sale purely to avoid losing value on the player.
Should City press ahead, Maresca's familiarity with Neto's game — built over the pair's time together at Chelsea — is seen internally as a significant advantage in persuading both player and club that a move to the Etihad represents the right next step.