‘Joao Pedro to complete Chelsea move after Hurzeler reacts to Brighton clash’
Brighton ace Joao Pedro could be set to join Chelsea this summer after a bust-up with teammate Jan Paul van Hecke and Fabian Hurzeler’s ensuing comment on the incident.
The Seagulls gave their slim chances of qualifying for European football a monumental boost by defeating Premier League champions Liverpool 3-2 on Monday evening (19 May).
Impressively, Hurzeler’s men did so in spite of missing their joint-top scorer this season in Pedro.
The Brazilian ranks alongside Danny Welbeck and Liverpool target Kaoru Mitoma, topping the scoring charts with 10 strikes, and the former Watford man has also provided six assists.
However, having missed the three games prior to the win over the Merseyside club due to his red card against Brentford on 19 April, Pedro was a surprise exclusion from the squad to face Arne Slot‘s men.
Joao Pedro left out vs Liverpool after Jan Paul van Hecke bust-up
Following the win that pushed Brighton up into eighth place in the Premier League table, The Athletic revealed the reason for Pedro’s absence.
The former Watford man had been involved in a “training ground altercation” with teammate Van Hecke.
| 2024/25 Premier League stats | Pedro |
| Appearances | 27 |
| Starts | 23 |
| Goals | 10 |
| Assists | 6 |
| Minutes | 1,953 |
Speaking at full-time following the win, Hurzeler was quizzed further on Pedro not being included, with the German boss saying: “Joao had private reasons why he was not available.”
“So, let’s see how it is going to continue.”
As a consequence, the Brazil international is now a doubt for Brighton’s final game of the season against Tottenham [The Athletic], and may have already played his last for the club.
Chelsea set to swoop for disgruntled Brighton star Joao Pedro
With the chance to once again have Chelsea finance Brighton’s summer business, the club’s hierarchy may be keen to see the striker left out in order to avoid an injury that could jeopardise a summer move, amid rival interest from Liverpool and Arsenal.
Mick Brown revealed to Football Insider exclusively that Pedro had confided to those close to him that he is keen to move to Stamford Bridge this summer.
Chelsea‘s striking woes are well documented, with Nicolas Jackson inconsistent and Christopher Nkunku failing to make the position their own, so could move for the Brazilian striker this summer.
With Pedro seemingly at odds with at least one of his teammates, Brighton may be keen to cash in on their striker in favour of redistributing the funds to other areas of their squad this coming transfer window, as they have so expertly done since joining the Premier League’s ranks in 2017.