Newcastle will see tonight if they really missed out on £30m man who wanted Toon move last year

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Newcastle United face Brighton And Hove Albion in their final game of the Premier League Summer Series tonight, with the Magpies ending their USA adventure with a trip to New Jersey.

Eddie Howe’s side take on the Seagulls at the Red Bull Arena, with the Newcastle boss set to name a completely changed side to the one that drew 1-1 with Chelsea on Wednesday night.

The likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Harvey Barnes and Callum Wilson should be involved, as Newcastle look to end their pre-season tour of America with a win.

Brighton will be tough opposition as they always are, and they have strengthened their squad since an impressive 2022/23 campaign.

One player they have signed is Joao Pedro, who has arrived from Watford for £30million. He will likely be involved tonight, and the Magpies will be keeping an eye on how the Brazilian forward gets on after last year.

Newcastle really wanted to sign Joao Pedro last year

This time last summer, Newcastle were looking for attacking reinforcements. And one player they were heavily linked with was Pedro.

The Magpies were keen to sign the South American striker, and he was keen to swap Vicarage Road for St James’ Park and play alongside fellow Brazilians Bruno and Joelinton.

It was even claimed that a deal for Newcastle to sign Pedro was done, with journalist Fabrizio Romano tweeting out his famous three words ‘here we go’.

However, we did not go. Instead, Newcastle pulled the plug and eventually brought in Alexander Isak for a club record fee from Real Sociedad.

While the Magpies did continue to show an interest in Pedro, it was Brighton who swooped in to secure his signature, and he is now looking to take his career to the next level at the Amex Stadium.

The 21-year-old will hope to be involved tonight, having already impressed in a Brighton shirt. He got a goal and an assist during their defeat to Chelsea, producing a wonderful display so early in his Seagulls career.

Now he is set to face Newcastle, who he came very close to joining 12 months ago. If he excels tonight, Toon officials will be wondering if they made a mistake in not signing him.