Chelsea have agreed a deal with Barcelona to sign winger Pedro for a fee of £21m.
The 28-year-old, who was a target for Manchester United, is flying to London to finalise terms on the transfer.
The Spain international is a product of the La Liga club’s academy and has scored 99 goals in 326 appearances since his debut in 2008.
He will be Chelsea’s second signing in less than a week after the arrival of Ghana defender Baba Rahman.
They are also keen to sign England defender John Stones from Everton, who have already turned down offers of £20m and £26m and, reportedly, a third worth £30m.
Pedro’s arrival could result in Colombia winger Juan Cuadrado leaving Chelsea after a disappointing seven months at Stamford Bridge. The Colombia international was signed for £23.3m from Fiorentina in January.
The champions are without a win in their first two Premier League games of the season for the first time since 1998 after following up their 2-2 draw with Swansea on the opening weekend with a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at last season’s runners-up Manchester City.
The Blues play at West Brom on Sunday before a home game against Crystal Palace on 30 August, two days prior to the transfer window closing on 1 September.
Editor’s Note: So it seems as if Manchester City’s mauling of Chelsea has forced Jose Mourinho into the transfer market with a slightly surprising move for Barcelona’s Pedro. The Spanish International who got the winner in the European Supercup last weekend was set to be the missing link in Manchester United’s attack but they have withdrawn their interest allowing Chelsea to seize the opportunity to sign the Barcelona Forward. The signature of Pedro will certainly liven up an attack unit which has failed to get out of gear in the opening two games, who will be the man to step aside I expect it will be one of Oscar or Willian but it certainly adds depth to a slightly thin looking squad. It’s almost if as Chelsea have rested on the laurels slightly over the Summer due to the fact they walked away with the title last season, maybe the 3-0 defeat on Sunday was the wake up call that Chelsea needed, it’s fair to say their season starts for real on Sunday.
It’s weird how badly Chelsea have started. Perhaps signing Pedro is a step forward, but in fairness – had a draw against Swansea and a loss to Man City happened in the middle of the season, I don’t think it’d quite be panic stations yet.
I’d really appreciate it if you could take a read of my further thoughts at:
http://thesportspace.org/2015/08/19/the-jose-horror-show/
Hi Ollie, I’ve read the article and given a few extra thoughts