The talk around Chelsea’s supposed interest in João Pedro has suddenly become very serious very quickly, with The Athletic reporting today (Sunday) that we have agreed a transfer with Brighton & Hove Albion for a fee “in excess of £50million”.
Just yesterday, the news was that Brighton had rejected a bid from Chelsea that was also north of £50m, and at the time that looked more like a ploy to get more money out of Newcastle United, who were (and still are?) also vying for the services of the 23-year-old forward. But it would appear that the real ploy was Chelsea making moves and getting him to choose us over the Magpies. Yay?
According to the report, the Brazil international is currently on his way to the US to complete his medical and join up with the team during our continuing adventure at the Club World Cup. João Pedro would be the second new player set to join the team in just as many days, with Chelsea reportedly also agreeing a similar deal with Borussia Dortmund for the signing of Jamie Gittens yesterday. Like Gittens, João Pedro will be signing a 7-year contract with the Blues.