Newcastle takes the lead in bidding for Joao Pedro, but players feel that it is more likely to be the core of the forward line in the Blues

Chelsea announced 60 million pounds to sign Brazilian striker Joao Pedro from Brighton. The Athletic posted a message saying that the offensive all-rounder is a player the club plans to introduce for months. It was included in the signing list as early as January and was kept confidential until it was announced to the public recently.

Chelsea are both very satisfied with Joao Pedro's transfer, and as a Chelsea staff member said after completing the deal, Joao Pedro's addition is a very important addition to Maresca. Brighton is also very satisfied with the deal. Chelsea agreed to pay more than 50 million pounds of initial fees, with additional terms and second transfer share, which is a good business for a player who spent 30 million pounds to sign two years ago.

Chelsea performed relatively low-key in the transfer window in January this year, but the club has already begun to plan the signing work in the summer window. There are two main reasons why I prepare so early. First, Chelsea will participate in the Club World Cup, which means they will not have a full pre-season preparation period. Secondly, letting new players join the team as soon as possible will help to get the lineup faster. Therefore, new players need to be finalized as soon as possible.

Chelsea considered several attackers and did not list Joao Pedro as its main target until May. The offensive all-rounder has served as a forward, pseudo-Nine, No. 10 and winger in Brighton. His flexibility is highly appreciated and his age meets the club's signing requirements for under 25 years old. In addition, Joao Pedro is 1.82 meters tall, which can add some physical ability to fight the lineup.

Despite the disciplinary issues such as clashes with Brighton teammates on the training ground, one of Chelsea’s transfer strategies is to sign players that are very familiar to the staff in order to better understand their personalities and whether they can fit in. In this case, Chelsea may rely more on the club's recruitment director Sam Jewell's ability to identify people and guarantees. When he served as Brighton's recruitment director in 2023, he was the main driving force behind signing Joao Pedro.

Brighton has always been realistic about Joao Pedro's future. They know that this player will attract the interest of many teams and have accumulated five years of experience in the Premier League, and still have huge potential. The players are also ambitious and hope to represent Brazil in the World Cup next year, and joining a club that can play in the Champions League is seen as a key step toward achieving this dream.

Newcastle, like Chelsea, has been qualified for the Champions League next season, so they think there is a great chance of signing Joao Pedro. Newcastle's interest in Joao Pedro goes back to 2022, when they nearly signed him from Watford. However, after Wilson was injured, Newcastle eventually signed Isaac from Real Sociedad. Joao Pedro said in an interview in 2023 that he was frustrated by the failure to make a transfer to Newcastle.

Newcastle believes that this experience may have affected Joao Pedro's decision this time, but the reason may not be that. Because of Isaac's existence, Newcastle sources hinted that Joao Pedro may feel that he has a greater chance of becoming the core of the forward at Chelsea than at Newcastle. However, this idea is worth discussing, because Maresca also has Jackson and Drapp, who is also newly signed this summer. But it is certain that Joao Pedro will get a lot of playing time at Chelsea.

Until a few weeks ago, Newcastle had thought Joao Pedro was interested in joining, but a source at St. James Park Stadium revealed that the deal never felt right. Newcastle once learned that Joao Pedro prefers to stay in London because he feels more comfortable there. This did not bring Newcastle back, and they took the lead in making a formal offer at the end of June, but the figures were well below Brighton's valuation of £60 million.

Last weekend, Chelsea's first offer exceeded 50 million pounds, but was also rejected by Brighton. But when they are not worried about the threat Newcastle might pose, Chelsea knows that Joao Pedro wants to stay in London and therefore believes he is more willing to join the Blues than Newcastle. So in the next 48 hours, Chelsea's team held many talks with Brighton CEO, and the two sides discussed repeatedly on the transfer fee and transaction structure. The negotiation atmosphere was very friendly and not carried out by email. After reaching the agreement, Maresca also took time to talk to Joao Pedro. On Sunday, the player flew from Brazil to Miami, USA, to conduct a physical examination with Chelsea’s Club World Cup residence, complete the transfer, and is expected to make his debut in the Club World Cup. As for Newcastle, they were treated coldly in the transfer market and had to continue looking for other goals. Despite the frustration, there was no panic within the club. A Newcastle insider revealed that as early as mid-June, Joao Pedro could have had it at his fingertips and suspected that if he had acted faster, they might have taken the initiative, making Chelsea unable to respond quickly.