Chelsea could find themselves in a transfer race for Brighton and Hove Albion star Joao Pedro this summer - with the Blues potentially going up against Newcastle United for the Brazilian's signature.
football.london with the player one of a number of potential targets. The Blues have been in contact with the Seagulls over a possible move for the forward.
If they are to push forward with their interest, then they will face competition from Newcastle. The Magpies are reported to have switched their attention to Pedro with Bryan Mbeumo now appearing to be heading towards a move to Manchester United or Tottenham.
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It is thought that Brighton are looking for a fee around the £70-million mark for the forward if they are to sell this summer. The 2024/25 season saw Pedro scored 10 goals and provide six assists in the .
If any transfer does come down to a race between and Newcastle, then the Blues could have one major advantage in their already-established relationship with Brighton.
Chelsea are no strangers to bringing players from the AMEX Stadium to Stamford Bridge. , and have all made the move over the last three years. In total, Chelsea have paid £203m to Brighton for those three players.
There has also been transfers the other way with Levi Colwill spending the 2022/23 season on loan with Brighton and Billy Gilmour moving permanently to the Seagulls three years ago now. There was also a connection between the two clubs with Graham Potter moving from Brighton to Chelsea.
The transfers between the two clubs means connections will already be in place which should, in turn, make any future deals easier to strike up.
Speaking about the number of deals that have happened between Chelsea and Brighton, Seagulls chairman Tony Bloom brushed it off.
"We take each situation on its own merits and each one is separate," he told in 2023.
"When Graham [Potter] went, that was six of our staff all in one go, but we just look at it all individually and every deal is a separate deal and the fact it happens to be one club is the way it is.
"It's possible over the next two or three years that we have no dealings with Chelsea.
"So, for me, it's not personal at all and each individual deal I've got to do what's best for the football club first and foremost.
In comparison, the relationship won't be as established between Brighton and Newcastle, with those two clubs completing just two deals between each other over the last three-and-a-half years. Dan Burn completed a move from Brighton to Newcastle in January 2022, while Yankuba Minteh moved the opposite way last summer.
