Brighton agree a record-breaking £30m move for Watford’s Joao Pedro
Brighton agree record £30m move for Watford’s Joao Pedro… as Roberto De Zerbi looks set to take a more active role in the Seagulls’ summer recruitment
- The 21-year-old Brazilian has been playing for Watford since January 2020
- If the signing goes through, Pedro will break Adam Webster’s record
- Pedro is said to have turned down a transfer to Newcastle last summer
Brighton have agreed a £30 million transfer for Watford striker Joao Pedro ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.
If the proposed deal goes through, the 21-year-old will become the club’s record transfer for £10 million more than the Seagulls’ fee for Adam Webster in his move from Bristol City in 2019.
Since the window hasn’t opened yet, nothing has been signed yet between the two parties, but it seems Brighton’s careful courtship of the starlet has paid off.
Pedro has previously been the center of attention from Newcastle, with the Tyneside club offering the same price to the Brazilian last summer only to be snubbed.
Serie A side AC Milan would also be interested in playing for the Brazilian.
Joao Pedro (right) will transfer from Watford to Brighton this summer for £30 million
Roberto De Zerbi was cool when questioned about his potential new player on Friday
The versatile striker has been playing for Watford since he got his UK work permit in January 2020, after progressing through youth academy and joining Fluminense’s first team.
This season, Pedro is Watford’s top scorer, with 11 goals and four assists for the Championship side, who struggled after last year’s relegation from the Premier League and are currently languishing in 13th place.
But the quality of the player was undeniable throughout, and when asked about the proposed move on Friday, his future manager Roberto De Zerbi was coy, but praised Pedro as ‘a big, big player’.
“I don’t know Joao Pedro,” De Zerbi teased when asked about the transfer rumours. “No, Joao Pedro is a big, big player, but I don’t know if he’s close or not.
‘He’s a great player.
“We are a very good team, we can improve, but it is not the right time to talk too much about the transfer market.”
The Zerbi wants to play a much bigger role in Brighton’s transfer prospects and the Italian will meet the club’s owner Tony Bloom at the end of the season to discuss how the club can continue to challenge at the top level.
Brighton are currently eighth, their hopes of European competition next season dashed after Wednesday’s shock defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Brighton will have to recover from a difficult week after defeats to United and Forest
A penalty shootout loss to Manchester United in their FA Cup semi-final at Wembley dashed their silverware hopes this season, but the club’s hierarchy is likely to already be planning a major summer rebuild.
This will be boosted by likely exits: World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister has been heavily linked to United, and Moises Caicedo has also been tipped to move on, despite signing a super new contract in February.
Brighton will face Wolves at home on Saturday in the first of their remaining eight games until the end of the season.
Just five points clear of Villa in sixth place, the Seagulls are three games ahead of some of their rivals for European places.