Yankuba Minteh of Brighton & Hove Albion celebrates scoring his team's first goal
Joao Pedro reportedly wants to join a London club this summer but the Brighton forward may well be let down if he indeed has hit heart set on a move to Arsenal or Chelsea. Brighton team-mate Igor Julio dropped a bomb this week, admitting his co-star had admitted wanted to leave the Seagulls and ideally preferred a move to the capital.
Arsenal and Chelsea have both been tentatively linked with the £60m-rated forward of late but Newcastle United remain the club who appear to have made the most concrete moves to sign the Brazilian. The Magpies enquired about Pedro's availability last week, with Brighton open to selling the player during this current trading period.
However if Pedro does want a move to either Arsenal or Chelsea, he needs to hope the London outfits change their course pretty soon. The Gunners are yet to sign a striker but already have top talent on their radar in that position.
Both Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko have been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates, with both attackers likely to wipe out a significant chunk of Mikel Arteta's budget. Meanwhile, reports suggest Chelsea could be the club of choice for Pedro - but this is not a given either.
The Blues have already signed Liam Delap from Ipswich Town, seemingly promising the young forward significant game time next term. Chelsea are still in the market for another attacker, however, and have made Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike a top target for the summer.
This, despite Enzo Maresca already having Delap, Nicolas Jackson, Pedro Neto, Noni Madueke, Marc Guiu, Cole Palmer, Tyrique George, Christopher Nkunku, Joao Felix and Raheem Sterling as his forward options at Stamford Bridge.
Newcastle, meanwhile, will not get into a bidding war over Pedro this summer. The Magpies admire the south American and the versatility he could bring to St James' Park, with Eddie Howe first trying to sign the player back in 2022.
Pedro's team-mate's comments this week may well have caused alarm bells to ring on Tyneside but Newcastle have a list of trusted targets to work through and will be feeling no nerves over the transfer race.
"In my opinion, if I were going to a Big Six team, I would go to a team that competes in the Premier League, plays in the Champions League and is always in a position to win,” Julio told Trivela.
“I would go to a Liverpool team and I think he would fit in perfectly at Liverpool. It's because I've always dreamed of playing for Liverpool and I would go there.
"He always told me that he really wants to live in London, so I think he will prioritise what comes from there first."
Treasure a season to remember
Newcastle United's 2024-25 campaign has to rank as one of the best in living memory. Not only did Eddie Howe's side qualify for the Champions League by securing fifth place in the Premier League, but they ended their long wait for silverware by winning the Carabao Cup
Our special Chronicle end-of-season edition celebrates an incredible campaign for the Magpies, with in-depth analysis, ratings and interviews of a season to remember.
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