Barcelona’s Joao Pedro Transfer Pursuit Sees Key Development

FC Barcelona‘s pursuit of Chelsea striker Joao Pedro has seen a key development this week as explained by The Athletic and Mundo Deportivo, citing anonymous sources.

The former outlet has revealed that Chelsea – amid interest from Barça and Arsenal – is attempting to tie the Brazilian down by offering him a new contract.

Joao Pedro only joined the west London outfit last summer, in time for leading their Club World Cup-winning charge in the United States.

A bargain from Brighton for $67 million (£50 million), he penned a seven-year contract that runs until 2032 which is now reportedly set to be extended for another 12 months with presumably improved conditions.

Aged 24, the Fluminense youth academy product looks set to sign the extension, further underlining his commitment to the BlueCo project at Stamford Bridge under new head coach and former Real Madrid tactician Xabi Alonso.

Given Joao Pedro has only been at Chelsea for a year and already had a lengthy deal, the development isn’t as much of a deal breaker as say if Ferran Torres agreed news terms at the Spotify Camp Nou.

The scorer of Spain’s winning goal in the World Cup final has his terms expiring on June 30, 2027, meaning that the signing of new contract Barça can’t offer him until September because of Financial Fair Play (FFP) issues would ward off Paris Saint-Germain.

According to reports in France and Spain, however, Torres has been convinced to join former La Roja boss Luis Enrique at the Parc des Princes while on the brink of accepting PSG’s proposal due to feeling undervalued by Hansi Flick.

Barça earning some sort of significant fee for Ferran – who cost $63 million (€55 million) from Manchester City in late 2021 – would help re-ignite a potential pursuit of Joao Pedro amid failed ventures that won’t bring Julian Alvarez or Junior Kroupi to Catalonia.

If Joao Pedro is happy where he is, however, and Ferran ends up fleeing for the French capital, Barcelona will be left with rookie Hamza Abdelkarim as its number 9 in the post Robert Lewandowski era.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com