Pedro has reportedly flown into London to undergo a medical with Chelsea and finalise the terms of his transfer.
Manchester United were believed to be leading the race to sign Pedro, and executive vice-chariman Ed Woodward even traveled to Barcelona to try to seal the deal.
However, they were unwilling to pay the full price for the winger, and former Barcelona teammate and fellow Spaniard Victor Valdes reportedly discouraged Pedro from working under Louis van Gaal.
Manchester City were also pursuing Pedro, but have chosen to focus on negotiating with Wolfsburg for Kevin De Bruyne.
With their slow start to the season indicating a need for reinforcement, Chelsea have picked up the pace in their pursuit of Pedro. With Barcelona’s permission, manager Jose Mourinho and former Barcelona teammate Cesc Fabregas have both spoken directly with the 28-year-old, and Blues director Marina Granovskaia held discreet talks with the Catalan club.
And the £21 million deal for the forward is nearing completion as Pedro flew into London on Wednesday.
Pedro has won the La Liga title with Barcelona five times and the Champions League thrice. In addition, he has scored 99 goals in 326 appearances for the club since 2008.
The Spanish international’s arrival at Stamford Bridge could point toward the exit of Juan Cuadrado, who joined Chelsea from Fiorentina last January but has not made the impact Mourinho was looking for so far. Juventus are interested in the Colombian, and with Pedro’s signing, the Serie A giants may try to close in on Cuadrado.
However, Mourinho will be pleased to have secured Pedro’s signature after expressing frustration at Chelsea’s lack of transfer activity over the summer. Pedro will become Chelsea’s second signing in less than a week, following defender Baba Rahman from Augsburg.
