Joao Pedro has revealed which surprise Chelsea star helped sweet talk him into making his £60million switch from Brighton.
Chelsea confirmed their capture of their new forward on Wednesday as they took their summer spend beyond £200m.
The Blues had already finalised deals for Liam Delap, Estevao Willian, Dario Essugo, Mamadou Sarr, and Kendry Paez before sealing the 23-year-old Brazilian.
Pedro brings five full seasons of experience in English football with Watford and Brighton, and scored 30 goals across his two campaigns with the Seagulls.
And it turns out another fruit of Chelsea’s recent transfer market forays was at least partially responsible for persuading Pedro to join.
Pedro revealed that Andrey Santos, who signed in January 2023 but has yet to play a game at Stamford Bridge, was an important figure in convincing him the move was right.
Chelsea’s new signing Joao Pedro has revealed which star he spoke to before joining the club
Andrey Santos was the player who discussed the move with Pedro on their Instagram chat
Pedro, 23, has joined the Blues in a £60million move from Brighton – a well-worn path for stars
‘I was talking with Andrey [Santos] on Instagram,’ said Pedro.
‘I asked about the guys, about the club, and he said good things about the team, so it’s good to join.’
Santos has been out on loan to Vasco da Gama, Nottingham Forest, and Strasbourg since signing for the Stamford Bridge outfit and therefore his debut only came at the Club World Cup – 22 minutes against Esperance Tunis.
Pedro also spoke with David Luiz for career advice, though not explicity about Chelsea.
Chelsea are currently bidding to win the first of the newly-expanded Club World Cups, taking on Brazilian side Palmeiras in the quarter-finals having seen off Benfica in extra time in the last 16.
Pedro is now eligible to feature in that match after penning terms on what is thought to be an eight-year deal.
The Blues announced the signing with a video of the former Brighton forward doing keepy-uppies on a beach against some Brazilian jazz music, with the words: ‘Welcome to Chelsea, Joao Pedro.’
And the youngster from Sao Paulo said: ‘Everyone knows this is a big club with a great history.
Enzo Maresca will be able to play Pedro against Palmeiras in the Club World Cup quarter-finals
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‘They had brilliant players in the past and have brilliant players now, so I am excited to join and you know when you are a Chelsea player you must think one thing – win.’
Pedro was one of Brighton’s brightest stars in the last two seasons after joining the Seagulls from Watford back in 2023.
In that period he managed 30 goals and 10 assists in just 70 appearances, picking up admiring glances from Chelsea among others for his impressive displays.
He now joins the likes of Moises Caicedo, Robert Sanchez and Marc Cucurella in joining from the Seagulls in recent years.
