Two Premier League giants set for Joao Pedro transfer battle
Liverpool and Newcastle are among the sides showing interest in Brighton striker Joao Pedro, talkSPORT understands.
The Brazilian would be keen to move to a bigger club this summer if Brighton agree to sell him.
Pedro has missed Brighton’s last four games with the most recent due to a training ground fight
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Pedro has missed Brighton’s last four games with the most recent due to a training ground fightCredit: Getty
Pedro has been dropped for Brighton’s final two games of the season after a training ground row with teammate Jan Paul Van Hecke.
Sources have told talkSPORT the incident is not being reviewed internally as an attempt to force a move.
Brighton would be looking to make a hefty profit on the then-club record £30million they paid Watford for Pedro.
As previously reported in talkSPORT’s Transfer Notebook, Brighton slapped £100m price tags on Pedro and teammate Carlos Baleba in April.
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The duo are expected to be the next Brighton stars to make mega-money moves from the Sussex coast.
But after announcing a record turnover of £222.4m for the 2023/24 season, thanks mainly to Moises Caicedo’s £115m move to Chelsea, owner Tony Bloom is under no financial pressure to sell.
Sources close to Bloom say he values Pedro and Baleba in the same bracket as Caicedo, who fetched a British record fee.
The Brazilian striker hasn’t enjoyed a great season, though, with just ten goals and six assists for the Seagulls, while he has had just 20 shots on target across the entire campaign.
In total, Pedro has scored 30 goals and provided ten assists in 70 appearances in a Brighton shirt, while he has three international caps for Brazil.
The 23-year-old has always been hailed for his mercurial talent, though, with former Watford teammate Troy Deeney telling talkSPORT back in September 2024 that he was ‘destined for the top’.
Pedro’s stats this season don’t read a £100m player
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Pedro’s stats this season don’t read a £100m playerCredit: talkSPORT
“He was exactly what you’re seeing now,” Deeney said about the striker.
“The only difference is that he’s got a bit more physically bigger. He’s a stronger specimen.
“It’s funny, when he came in, he was young, not arrogant but just had that swagger about him that he just thought he should be playing.
“It was probably about six months too early. He used to get angry really quickly. Then obviously we spoke to him and dealt with him as players and just said, ‘Look, your time will come, it’s part of the process’. Then you go and see what he’s doing.
“He’s destined to go to the very, very top. I think he’s got a level of ability that he can play anywhere across the top three lines. Then he could probably, as time goes on, drop into a ten or certainly drop into an eight. He’s just that good.
“You know when someone’s good but you can’t tell you what their best position is. He’s just good. You just know you’ve got to play him.”
Merson Laughs at Sky Pundit’s Gyokeres Prediction Amid Newcastle Breakthrough
*James Quinlan*
*4 minutes*
Arsenal legend Paul Merson could only see the funny side as he listened to fellow Sky Sports pundit, Michael Dawson, assure that Newcastle United will be in the transfer battle for Viktor Gyokeres this summer.
Building up to the summer transfer window, it would appear Eddie Howe’s side needs a goal-scorer to complement Alexander Isak. The Magpies have been linked with several top targets, and Gyokeres is the latest to emerge as a potential signing.
Of the names speculated to end their goal-scoring woes, Gyokeres is the latest to re-emerge. Lately, it has been rumoured St James’ Park is his preferred destination – while it’s apparently agreed he can leave Sporting CP for €70-75m (£58.6-62.8m) this summer.
That said, Newcastle are not the only club out there looking to add a striker to their ranks. The position is one in-demand across the Premier League. An injury to key striker has left them light in that particular department for their upcoming fixtures.
And Dawson, speaking on Soccer Saturday, outlined his thoughts by saying: “Newcastle have been making waves in the transfer market and I believe they’ll be in the bracket of Gyokeres.
“People are talking about could he go to a bigger club? Newcastle will be in that bracket, and they will spend the money to get the players they need.”
The ex-Forest defender added: “Merse is looking at me now like I’ve said something ridiculous, I’m telling you.
“[Matheus] Cunha I’d put in that bracket. Newcastle and this owner will go out there to do everything, let me tell you. I’ve seen it hands on the way they operate.”
Throughout this the former Arsenal and England midfielder was laughing at the suggestion Newcastle could challenge bigger clubs for Sporting’s red-hot striker.
“You can have Cunha,” Merson retorted, before asking his colleague: “Where, if you’re Gyokeres… Would you go to Newcastle or a bigger club?”
Dawson was forced to admit: “Of course, you’d go to a bigger club, no doubt.
“But Newcastle are a team on the rise and they might just pull off a surprise signing.”
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