BLUES IN PEDRO SWOOP
£22m Spain wing king keen to join forces with Fab
CHELSEA were given the green light to snap up Barcelona star Pedro last night and expect to complete a £22m deal next week.
Barca boss Luis Enrique admitted he will not stand in the Spain winger’s way should he decide to quit for Stamford Bridge. And Pedro will be told he is free to leave when the pair meet for talks later today after Chelsea agreed to meet his buy-out fee.
Enrique said: “My wish is that Pedro stays but there are circumstances in his contract and I will respect his opinion if he wants to leave.”
The Blues have already offered the 27-year-old a four-year contract and are confident of completing the transfer without a hitch.
But it cannot be finalised until after Barcelona’s presidential elections take place this weekend.
That’s because the Catalan club’s temporary board are currently barred from signing off any transfers.
Liverpool and Inter Milan were also interested in Pedro but they are set to miss out as Chelsea are his preferred option. Pedro is concerned about a lack of playing time at Barca, where he is competing with Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.
But he has been guaranteed a bigger role at Chelsea, joining up with former Barca team-mate Cesc Fabregas (left).
That would boost his chances of forcing his way into the Spain squad for next summer’s Euros.
Asked about his situation this week, Pedro said: “There are offers for me this summer and the situation is difficult.
“Any player wants to have playing time but it is getting more and more difficult with every season that passes.
“I would like to have finished my career here but we will have to see what happens. Obviously you are happier when you can play.”
Pedro only signed a new contract last month, committing his future to the Spanish giants until 2019.
But Barcelona have since agreed to lower the whopping £106m buy-out clause in that deal.
Chelsea, who have completed the loan signing of Radamel Falcao from Monaco and brought in Asmir Begovic from Stoke, are still hunting for a defender and a midfielder.
But rumours of a move for Manchester United target Nicolas Otamendi are believed to be wide of the mark.