Chelsea look set to sign Joao Pedro from Brighton & Hove Albion, but another forward looks like he will definitely not be joining the Conference League winners this summer.
Pedro has chosen Chelsea over Newcastle United, who had made the 23-year-old a key target.
The Blues are still in the market for attackers, with Borussia Dortmund and England Under-21 star Jamie Gittens also set to join them.
However, while the 20-year-old appears to be keen on a move to the Premier League, that does not seem to be the case for another Bundesliga talent.
Nick Woltemade poses as Man of the Match after Germany v Slovenia - UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2025 Group Stage
Photo by Boris Streubel – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Chelsea’s meeting with Nick Woltemade’s representatives off
Earlier this month, it was claimed that Chelsea had approached Nick Woltemade over a potential switch to west London this summer.
Since then, though, German journalist Christian Falk has revealed on cfbayern Insider that a planned meeting between Chelsea and Woltemade’s representatives has now been called off by the latter.
It is thought that the 23-year-old, who has shone for Germany at the European Under-21 Championship, only wants to join Bayern Munich.
According to Bild, Stuttgart have set an asking price of €60m (£51.2m) for the attacker. However, it has been reported elsewhere that they could end up asking for as much as €100m (£85.5m) for his signature.
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Woltemade scored six goals in five appearances at the European Under-21 Championship, but he could not prevent Germany from losing to England in the final.
While Chelsea are now unlikely to sign Woltemade, sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley should be able to wrap up a deal for Pedro.
Chelsea FC sporting director Laurence Stewart (L) speaks to Frank Lampard (R)
Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images
Comparing Nick Woltemade and Joao Pedro
In terms of positions, Woltemade and Pedro are quite similar. Both players can operate as a striker or second striker. Pedro also has experience playing on the left.
Their goal tallies last season were almost the same, too, though Pedro did see more minutes than Woltemade.
Player League games Minutes Goals Assists xG xG difference
Nick Woltemade 28 1,621 12 2 11.95 0.05
Joao Pedro 27 1,955 10 6 10.26 -0.26
Via Nick Woltemade’s WhoScored and Joao Pedro’s WhoScored pages
Ultimately, Chelsea probably only ever needed one of the two forwards given how similar they are in profile, so missing out on Woltemade is not the end of the world.