Newcastle United need to act quickly if they’re going to be successful in their long-running pursuit of Brighton forward Joao Pedro.
Pedro is open to joining Newcastle United, who have reportedly seen an offer rejected by the Seagulls this summer.
Eddie Howe is a big fan of Pedro and tried to sign him back in 2022 before eventually moving for Alexander Isak.
Signing the Brazilian would be a brilliant bit of business for Newcastle. Able to operate in a number of attacking positions, he’d both play with and cover Isak if he did join the club.
Still, recent news is concerning.
Joao Pedro holds his hands in the air in celebration during Brighton vs Nottingham Forest.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Chelsea have £50m bid rejected for Joao Pedro
According to Ed Aarons of The Guardian on social media platform X, Chelsea have also seen a bid rejected by Brighton.
Both offers are understood to have been for around £50million, with the south coast club holding out for more.
Pedro, who scored 10 goals while registering six assists in 27 Premier League games last season, still has three years to run on his contract.
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That means Brighton are under no immediate pressure to sell.
Why Chelsea’s move for Joao Pedro is Newcastle United’s worst nightmare
Pedro is one of Newcastle’s leading transfer targets, so the idea of losing out on him to a positional rival in the Premier League is naturally cause for concern.
Chelsea already beat Newcastle to the signing of Liam Delap, meaning there could be a nightmare scenario unfolding in which both of the club’s attacking targets head to Stamford Bridge.
Furthermore, Newcastle are prepared to drop their interest in Pedro if they cannot agree a deal with Brighton.
With that in mind, getting into a bidding war with a club as well-resourced as Chelsea does not feel like something PIF will relish. The Newcastle United owners have consistently proven they refuse to overpay, so it’s unlikely they’d want to match Chelsea blow-for-blow if the price keeps being driven up.