6th Summer Signing
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Chelsea is poised to elevate their summer spending beyond €200 million with the anticipated arrival of João Pedro from Brighton. Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano reports that the Brazilian striker has reached an agreement with the club, with both teams finalizing a transfer fee around €58 million. With previous signings including Liam Delap, Estêvão, Dário Essugo, Mamadou Sarr, Kendry Páez, and a deal reportedly in place for Jamie Gittens from Dortmund, Chelsea’s total expenditure on new players this summer is on track to exceed €200 million for the fourth consecutive year.
Pedro is leaving Brighton after just two years, following his transfer from Watford for €34.2 million. His move will rank as Brighton’s fourth most expensive sale ever, trailing only Ben White’s €58.5 million transfer to Arsenal in 2022. This comes as no surprise to Premier League fans, who have witnessed Pedro’s impressive development at the American Express Stadium. During his time with the Seagulls, he scored 30 goals and provided 10 assists across 70 appearances, averaging an impressive 0.63 goal contributions per 90 minutes in league matches.
While Pedro thrived at Brighton, his integration into Chelsea’s squad for the upcoming season remains uncertain. Under the guidance of Enzo Maresca, the team finished the 2024/25 season needing more striking options to support Nicolas Jackson. However, Chelsea has already added former Ipswich Town striker Delap and has at least four other forwards on their roster, excluding second striker João Félix. While Pedro is versatile enough to play in various attacking roles, he will face stiff competition for playing time.
This surge in spending is a direct result of Chelsea’s financial strategy since changing ownership in 2022, with the club investing a staggering €1.49 billion in that time—€650 million more than the next highest spending club, Paris Saint-Germain. Specifically, in the realm of forward players, Chelsea’s expenditures have reached an astonishing €457.6 million, the highest in the league since summer 2022. With the imminent additions of Gittens and Pedro, this figure is set to surpass the €500 million mark.
