Newcastle United lost out to Chelsea in the race to sign Joao Pedro but the Brazil international now faces a nervous wait to see if he will be able to play in the Champions League
Joao Pedro
Joao Pedro
Chelsea will have to ensure their 'transfer balance is positive' in order for Joao Pedro to play in the Champions League after the Blues won the race to sign the Newcastle United target.
Chelsea have been retrospectively fined £27m by UEFA for breaching the European governing body's financial rules in 2024.
It is the largest fine that UEFA have ever issued to a club after Chelsea broke the football earnings rule and squad cost rule, which limits spending on player costs to 80% of revenue.
Chelsea managed to comply with the Premier League's separate PSR regulations in 2023-24 following the sale of the club's women's team to a parent company for £200m.
However, UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) have made it clear that profits from 'the sale of tangible or intangible assets' cannot be included in submitted accounts to the European governing body.
Chelsea also face the threat of having to pay a further £51.8m if the club do not comply with the regulations in the next four years while the CFCB confirmed that Enzo Maresca's side 'may not register any new player on its List A to UEFA club competitions unless the List A transfer balance is positive'.
Although further departures are expected - there are question marks surrounding the futures of Noni Madueke, Christopher Nkunku and countless others - Chelsea have already spent more than £200m this summer on signings such as Pedro and Liam Delap.
In a statement, Chelsea said: "The club has worked closely and transparently with UEFA to provide a full and detailed breakdown of its financial reporting, which indicates that the financial performance of the club is on a strong upwards trajectory.
"Chelsea FC greatly values its relationship with Uefa and considered it important to bring this matter to a swift conclusion by entering into a settlement agreement."
Aston Villa have also been fined £9.5m by UEFA for breaching the rules.
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