Chelsea and Newcastle United are in competition to sign Brighton & Hove Albion’s Joao Pedro.
Brighton are yet to accept any bid for the 23-year-old Brazilian forward, with both Chelsea and Newcastle said to be in talks with the south-coast club over a move.
Joao Pedro missed Brighton’s final two matches of the season after a training ground altercation with team-mate Jan Paul van Hecke, as first reported by The Athletic.
Head coach Fabian Hurzeler said that the matter had been dealt with internally and was considered “closed”.
Pedro made 30 appearances in all competitions for Brighton this season, scoring 10 Premier League goals and adding six assists.
The forward joined Brighton from Watford in the summer of 2023 in a then club-record £30 million deal.
He has gone on to make 70 appearances for the club, scoring 30 goals.
Chelsea’s priority in the market is a versatile attacker following the departure of Jason Sancho after a season-long loan. Chelsea are also in talks with Borussia Dortmund over a move for Jamie Gittens.
Newcastle United are yet to make a first-team signing this summer.Brighton have become prolific sellers in recent years with players including Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Ben White and Alexis Mac Allister all sold for large fees and marking significant profit for the club.
Joao Pedro has three caps for Brazil since making his international debut last November.
He played for 60 minutes in the 2-1 win at home to Colombia in March and was an unused substitute five days later in a 4-1 defeat away to world champions Argentina, which led to the sacking of head coach Dorival Junior.
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