Sixth Summer Signing
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Chelsea is poised to exceed €200 million in summer transfers following the acquisition of João Pedro from Brighton. The club announced Pedro’s signing on Wednesday, having reached an initial fee of €63.7 million, with the potential for an additional €5.8 million in add-ons. Alongside Pedro, Chelsea has already welcomed Liam Delap, Estêvão, Dário Essugo, Mamadou Sarr, Kendry Páez, and is reportedly close to signing Jamie Gittens from Dortmund. This surge in spending marks the fourth consecutive season of investment exceeding €200 million.
Pedro leaves Brighton after just two years since his move from Watford for €34.2 million, making him the club’s third most expensive sale ever, trailing only Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella. His impressive performance at Brighton saw him score 30 goals and provide 10 assists in 70 matches, averaging 0.63 goal contributions per 90 minutes in league play.
While Pedro thrived with a prominent role at Brighton, his integration into Chelsea’s squad for the upcoming season remains uncertain. Although Enzo Maresca’s team clearly needed more attacking options by the end of the 2024/25 season, Chelsea has already signed Delap and has several other forwards on the roster, including second striker João Félix. Although Pedro can play various attacking roles, he will face significant competition for playing time.
This situation reflects Chelsea’s astonishing spending spree since the club’s ownership change in 2022. Overall, Chelsea has invested an astounding €1.55 billion in that time, which is €700 million more than the next closest spenders, Paris Saint-Germain. Focusing on forward players alone, the total expenditure reaches €521.3 million, the highest amount any club has spent on forwards since the summer of 2022.