Former Newcastle United transfer target Joao Pedro will be allowed to leave Brighton & Hove Albion this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Joao Pedro joined Brighton from Watford in 2023 for a then club record fee of £30million. The club record has since been broken with the purchase of Yankuba Minteh from Newcastle for £33million last summer.
Since joining Brighton, Joao Pedro has scored 30 goals in 70 appearances in all competitions. On Monday night, he returned from suspension for The Seagulls only to be left out of the squad to face Liverpool.
Although no Brighton player has scored more goals than the Brazilian forward over the last two seasons, the club are reportedly open to offers with the summer transfer window set to open next Sunday.
Fabrizio Romano drops Joao Pedro transfer bombshell
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has claimed Joao Pedro can leave Brighton this summer for €70million (~£59million).
It’s a significant price tag for the three time Brazil international, who is still only 23.
But Brighton have made a habit of selling players when their market value is at a high, which has given them a major boost when it comes to Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules. The sales of Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Ben White, Alexis Mac Allister, Leandro Trossard and Yves Bissouma to fellow Premier League clubs generated significant transfer revenue for Brighton while they have continued to be competitive on the pitch.
Romano tweeted: “João Pedro can now 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 Brighton with player open to new chapter Premier League top clubs attentive to opportunity as João can be available, talks follow in the next weeks.Price tag expected to be around €70m, final decision will be up to Brighton but movements are expected.”
Newcastle United Joao Pedro ‘here we go’ explained
Newcastle United were previously heavily linked with a move for Joao Pedro back in 2022. The Magpies had agreed a £30million transfer with Watford for the Brazilian.
Romano claimed the deal was as good as done, labelling it with his ‘here we go’ catchphrase which is reserved for when a transfer is imminent. But the deal ultimately did not materialise as the player remained at Watford before signing for Brighton the following season.
Explaining the Newcastle ‘here we go’ update, Romano said: “For Joao Pedro, it was agreed upon between Watford and Newcastle on a permanent deal for around £25m + £5 in add-ons and a 10% future sales clause included.
Full agreement with personal terms with the player. The real point in this was Alexander Isak.
“This opportunity came out of nothing. They wanted Isak as a priority since June and suddenly Real Sociedad decided to accept and let him go.
“That's why Newcastle changed their plans with Joao Pedro.”
According to Romano, it was a late U-turn from Newcastle due to the availability of Alexander Isak that led to Joao Pedro’s move falling through. Given that Isak has since scored 62 goals in 107 games for Newcastle and is regarded as one of the best strikers in the world, it was a decision that most certainly worked out for the best.
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