Joao Pedro 'picks between Chelsea and Newcastle' as star waiting on transfer agreement

Joao Pedro would reportedly prefer to join Chelsea over Newcastle if the Blues can thrash out a deal to prise him away from Brighton. The west London giants are on the hunt for fresh talent as they prepare for their return to the Champions League next season.

Chelsea have been incredibly active in the transfer market since a consortium led by Todd Boehly bought the club from Roman Abramovich in May 2022. This summer alone, the Blues have brought in Liam Delap, Dario Essugo and Mamadou Sarr, with Brazilian youngsters Estevao Willian and Kendry Paez also set to touch down in England ahead of the new campaign. But it appears Enzo Maresca is hungry for even more talent after guiding his side to the Club World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday evening.

Chelsea have reportedly struck a £55million transfer agreement to land Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund over the weekend and are lining up Pedro as their next signing.

The Blues face competition from Newcastle for Pedro's signature, with Eddie Howe clearly keen to bolster his strike force with the addition of the Brazil international.

But, according to the Daily Mail, Pedro is leaning towards a move to Chelsea if the five-time Premier League champions can reach an agreement with Brighton over a transfer fee.

Newcastle have reportedly had a £50m offer for Pedro turned down, with Magpies striker Alexander Isak currently linked with a move to Liverpool.

And Brighton forward coach Bobby Zamora spoke about Pedro over the weekend as he explained: "Joao is hungry. He wants to be playing for Brazil, he wants to be playing for that national side. And to be in that elite, you have to be playing week in, week out in the Premier League and scoring goals.

"Joao certainly has the capabilities. A fantastic player, a massive talent, and I'm sure there's more to come from him."

Pedro has bagged 30 goals and 10 assists in 70 appearances for Brighton since joining the club from Watford in 2023.

He starred in the Premier League last season and helped his side finish eighth as the Seagulls lost just nine times in the top flight.

The 23-year-old was forced to miss his side's final two matches, however, following an alleged training ground altercation with team-mate Jan Paul van Hecke.

The incident was ultimately played down by Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler ahead of his team's final game of the season at Tottenham, as he maintained it had been dealt with internally and that the matter was "closed".