Newcastle United’s pursuit of Brighton forward Joao Pedro has suffered a major blow, with reports indicating the 23-year-old favors a move to Chelsea over joining the Magpies organization.
Both Premier League clubs entered negotiations with Brighton, who have so far rejected all offers for the Brazilian international.
Chelsea’s most recent bid of £58 million was turned down, with Brighton holding out for a figure over £60 million. Despite the little impasse, Chelsea are reportedly confident of finalizing terms and appear to have convinced Pedro of their project, leaving Newcastle on the verge of missing out on yet another target for the nth time in the past three years. Yikes...
Pedro, who joined Brighton from Watford in a club-record £30 million deal last summer, scored 30 goals in 70 appearances across all competitions for the Seagulls. He also registered 10 goals and six assists in the Premier League this past season.
The striker’s time at Brighton ended on a contentious note, after he missed the final two games of the campaign following a training ground altercation with teammate Jan Paul van Hecke. Manager Fabian Hurzeler later declared the matter resolved, though Pedro did not feature again.
Newcastle had been targeting Pedro as part of their push to reinforce their forward line ahead of a return to Champions League play, but have yet to secure a first-team signing this summer. Missing out on Pedro would mark another setback after interest in several attacking targets across Europe.
Pedro, who has earned three caps for Brazil since debuting in November, was viewed by Newcastle as a long-term partner or even the successor to Alexander Isak. Not happening, folks.