Chelsea would not be hijacking Newcastle United’s bid for Brighton and Hove Albion star Joao Pedro, as they’ve actually been negotiating a deal since May.
That’s according to UOL, who report that Chelsea had wanted to sign Pedro from Brighton in time for him to play at the Club World Cup.
Reports in the UK have indicated that Chelsea could hijack Newcastle’s bid for Pedro, with the Magpies concerned about the Blues interest in the 23-year-old. In reality, though, it may be the other way around.
UOL report that Chelsea have been talking to Brighton about Pedro since May. Indeed, we covered on the 23rd of that month that they had opened negotiations with the Seagulls about a deal for the Brazilian.
UOL now explain that they had wanted to get a deal done in time for the Club World Cup, but that didn’t end up happening. Now they, alongside Newcastle, are simply preparing offers for the forward. Brighton are waiting for an official offer to be made.
Either way, Chelsea are likely to be one step ahead of Newcastle at this moment in time, having been in negotiations with Brighton for nearly a month at this point.
