Chelsea agree £50m-plus fee for Brighton’s Joao Pedro.

Chelsea have agreed to pay more than £50 million to capture forward Joao Pedro from Brighton.

The 23-year-old is anticipated to sign a seven-year contract and may be eligible to play in the FIFA Club World Cup.

Joao Pedro is flying from Brazil to the United States for a physical and might make his debut against Palmeiras in the quarter-finals on Friday (BST 02:00) in Philadelphia.

Newcastle was reportedly said to be interested in the forward, while Brighton turned down two bids from undisclosed Premier League clubs before agreeing to terms with Chelsea.

The deal comes after Borussia Dortmund agreed to sign their English winger Jamie Gittens for £55 million on Saturday, just hours before Chelsea defeated Benfica to go to the Club World Cup last eight. Gittens, 20, cannot compete in the tournament for Enzo Maresca’s team because he has previously played for the German club.

Joao Pedro, meanwhile, joins after scoring 30 goals and assisting 10 times in 70 matches during a two-year stay at Brighton following a then-club record £30 million transfer from Watford in 2023.

He was left out of the Seagulls’ final Premier League match of the season against Tottenham owing to a “small issue” by manager Fabian Hurzeler.

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