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Chelsea moved quickly to secure João Pedro’s future after his excellent first season at Stamford Bridge, and the final piece of that process now appears imminent.
Earlier this month, Globo Esporte reported that the Blues had agreed to extend the Brazilian’s contract until 2033. We covered those claims at the time, including the considerable salary increase involved.
There is now an important extra layer to that story. ESPN Brazil journalist Bruno Andrade says João Pedro’s new contract was delivered to him on Tuesday. Everything has been agreed, including the financial side, and only his signature remains.
Andrade believes that is now a “matter of hours”, with Chelsea then expected to make the agreement public.
Chelsea have actually renegotiated existing 2033 option
João Pedro’s situation is a little more complicated than simply adding another year to his Chelsea contract.
Bruno Andrade explains that when the striker arrived from Brighton, he signed until 2032 with an automatic option for another season.
That option would already have taken João Pedro through to 2033. The financial conditions attached to it were also established at the time.
However, Chelsea will not simply activate that agreement. João Pedro’s status has changed considerably since then. He scored 20 goals and registered six assists during his first season, while becoming one of Chelsea’s most important attacking players.
His performances also took him close to Brazil’s World Cup squad and attracted attention from Barcelona and Arsenal. That progress left the 24-year-old in a considerably stronger negotiating position than when Chelsea signed him from Brighton.
According to Andrade, João Pedro therefore wanted different financial terms from those originally established for the automatic extension. And Chelsea agreed to negotiate.
The result is that the player will receive a larger financial increase than the one he would have been entitled to under the existing option.
So while the end date remains the same – 2033 – this is effectively a new agreement between Chelsea and João Pedro.
Barcelona talks went nowhere
There was good reason for Chelsea to address João Pedro’s situation this summer.
Barcelona had been looking seriously at the striker, and Andrade confirms there were talks between the player’s side and the Catalan club.
However, Barcelona ultimately did not have the financial strength required to make the transfer happen.
Meanwhile, Chelsea already had contractual control until 2033 available to them. They could theoretically have relied on the automatic extension and its previously agreed salary.
Instead, they recognised how much João Pedro’s position had changed and negotiated new terms.
For the player, that means a considerable reward after his first season in London. And for Chelsea, it removes any potential dissatisfaction created by a salary agreed before João Pedro established himself as one of their key players.
With the document now in his hands, the remaining formality should not take long.
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