Chelsea reach agreement with Brighton to sign Joao Pedro – The Athletic – The New York Times

EPL
Chelsea have reached an agreement with Brighton & Hove Albion to sign Joao Pedro.
The 23-year-old Brazilian was targeted by Chelsea and Newcastle United but he only wanted to join the west London side.
A deal in excess of £50million has been struck, while personal terms are in place on a contract until 2032.
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The player is currently en route from Brazil to the U.S. to complete a medical, and then to join up with Chelsea’s squad at the Club World Cup.
The move will see them add a versatile forward to an attacking unit that has already been bolstered in the summer window.
Liam Delap arrived from Ipswich Town and the striker will be joined at Stamford Bridge by Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens.
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.
Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler later said the altercation was dealt with internally and he considered the matter “closed”.
As well as Delap, Dario Essugo, Estevao, Mamadou Sarr and Kendry Paez have also arrived at Chelsea following pre-existing agreements. Jadon Sancho has departed Stamford Bridge after a season-long loan deal.
Chelsea have signed multiple players from Brighton in recent seasons including Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo and Robert Sanchez, while Levi Colwill also spent the 2022-23 season on loan at the south-coast club.
Joao Pedro has three caps for Brazil since making his international debut in November of last year.
Analysis from Thom Harris
Joao Pedro brings a bit of everything; not necessarily destructive with his dribbling as other players liked by Chelsea, such as West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus and Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike, but he is very comfortable dropping deep and creating chances for his team-mates.
He works hard off the ball too, spending most of his time in the pockets in the left half-space before timing his runs into the box.
The sheer quantity of attacking talent already at Chelsea is dizzying, but Joao Pedro and other forwards Chelsea are linked to point to a desire for flexibility across the final third.
(Alex Dodd – CameraSport via Getty Images)
David Ornstein joined The Athletic in October 2019 after 12 years as a sports journalist and correspondent at the BBC. In the role of Football Correspondent, he is responsible for producing exclusive and original stories and interviews, offering unique insight and analysis. He works across video, audio and the written word. Follow David on Twitter @David_Ornstein

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