Brighton & Hove Albion's Joao Pedro
Brighton & Hove Albion's Joao Pedro has been linked with Newcastle
Brighton's Joao Pedro is an excellent player. The Brazilian forward finished the 2024-25 season with an impressive 16 goal involvements in just 27 Premier League appearances for the Seagulls and at 23, appears to have the footballing world at his feet.
It's no wonder he has been linked with a move to several big-name Premier League clubs this summer, including Newcastle United. Eddie Howe is known to be a big fan of the versatile forward, with the Magpies almost securing his services before he left Watford for Brighton in 2022.
United opted to turn to Alexander Isak, and it's safe to say it was the right choice. The £63m they paid to Real Sociedad for the Swede looks like real bargain now, with the United No 14 one of the hottest properties in world football.
Isak arrived at Newcastle to compete with Callum Wilson for the main striker role, and with Chris Wood still at St James' Park. However, times have changed, and Newcastle are drawing up their summer transfer plans conscious of the lack of striker options available to Howe for the coming campaign.
With Wilson's contract up and Wood long since gone to Nottingham Forest, United are left with the exciting, if inexperienced, Will Osula as the only realistic central striker back-up option for Isak. Anthony Gordon can play through the middle, but the England star is far better suited to a wide role.
Newcastle can't afford to go into the new season with just Isak as their centre forward option. Even if they don't make it past the Champions League group stage, there are still EIGHT matches to deal with in Europe's elite competition, not to menton domestic cup runs.
Many felt we were seeing the signs of fatigue on the Swede towards the end of last season, with the burden of goalscoring falling squarely on his shoulders. It's a challenge he met with some style, of course, but an over-reliance on Isak next season will be far from ideal for both club and player.
United have been linked with several striker options as they look to bolster their squad, ranging from the top-end of the market with Benjamin Sesko and Hugo Eikitike to free agents such as Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Joao Pedro fits somewhere inbetween the two, athough Brighton are unlikely to let him leave for less than £50m - if not considerably more.
But for all his clear talents - and that should be beyond debate - does he really fit the transfer blueprint for Newcastle this summer? I would argue not.
On the plus side, he is young, has plenty of Premier League experience and we know he's good enough for this ambitious United squad. So far, so good.
However, he's not a centre-forward in the traditional sense, preferring to drop deep between the lines to create goals. Not so much a replacement for Isak than someone who can play alongside him.
Isak will continue to be first choice next season, which highlights the key issue. Joao Pedro is not going to leave Brighton to be a back-up option at Newcastle, regardless of the chance to play Champions League football.
United may be able to afford the £50m asking price, but with other pressing transfer priorities, are they really willing to pay that much for a striker who will be second to Isak? Surely not. Liam Delap ticked a lot of boxes with his £30m release clause, but it would be a surprise if United paid more than that. for a striker.
It's an extremely difficult transder problem to solve - but while Joao Pedro could shine in this United side, it doesn't feel like the right fit for this window and this budget.