‘Chelsea to sell Joao Pedro for profit to Real Madrid or Barcelona’
Chelsea have been tipped to look to make a profit on Joao Pedro and sell him on to the likes of Real Madrid or Barcelona in a short timeframe.
The Brazilian striker’s future beyond this summer was one of fierce debate after his impressive Brighton exploits last season.
Former scout Mick Brown told Football Insider in May that Newcastle wanted to sign Pedro from the Seagulls, but Brighton were looking for bids of £50-60million to sanction a sale this summer.
Brown then revealed to Football Insider on 29 June that Chelsea were plotting to hijack the Magpies’ move for Pedro, with the Blues ready to sell Nicolas Jackson after his poor Club World Cup performances.
The BBC soon reported that Pedro was set to join the West London outfit in a deal worth £60million, and he officially signed for the club on 2 July [Chelsea], then linked up with his new teammates in the USA.
Troy Deeney makes Pedro sale prediction – ‘will come knocking’
Pedro has only just joined Chelsea, but he already has fierce competition for places up-front in Enzo Maresca’s squad, with Jackson and Liam Delap both sharing a starting place in the CWC so far.
His talent has been made clear, though, from his time at Brighton, and former player and current pundit Troy Deeney detailed how he can foresee the 23-year-old leaving Stamford Bridge in two years time to join a Spanish giant like Real Madrid or Barcelona, when speaking live on talkSPORT on Friday (4 July), saying: “If Chelsea start competing now, both on the Champions League front and in the Premier League, he will be part of that vehicle, right? He will have done that…
“I think if (Pedro) does well for two years (at Chelsea), a Real Madrid, a Barcelona, they will come knocking. Chelsea are still a model of buying young and potentially selling on for a lot more than what they paid.”
Pedro could struggle to find his feet at Chelsea despite high praise
Football Insider verdict
Pedro is undoubtedly a talented player, but he is far from the finished article, and the pressure on him to instantly perform well could see him lose his way at the start of his Chelsea career.
He had been with Brighton since a 2023 move from Watford, and was a regular scorer for the Seagulls over the last two years in their quests to qualify for Europe.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 70 | 30 | 10 |
With that said, it may have made more sense for him to join Newcastle this summer, as he would largely have been a back-up to Alexander Isak in his first season at the club, but the Swede has been heavily linked away from Tyneside in recent times and so the main striker position could well become vacant in the years to come.
With both that and the Magpies’ recent return to the Champions League in mind, and given Chelsea’s current striker depth of Delap and Jackson, it surely would have been a better idea for Pedro to join the north-east-based side this summer.
Regardless, he has now made the move to Stamford Bridge, and he will certainly have to be up for the fight for a regular starting spot going forward.