Newcastle United have now had two bids rejected for Watford forward Joao Pedro.
The Brazilian emerged as a target at the beginning of the week, with our first bid of £20million being turned down.
Eddie Howe’s have since returned to the table with an improved offer, but it has also been rejected. The Athletic broke the news on Thursday night that the Magpies have proposed a deal worth £25million. However, Rob Edwards and co have once again said no.
The bid was reportedly £22million up front, with an additional £3million in add-ons. However, it is still shy of Watford’s now £35million asking price.
While a second rejection is not good news, this doesn’t appear to be the end of Newcastle’s Pedro pursuit.
Newcastle’s next move after fresh Pedro bid is rejected
According to 90min, talks between Newcastle and Watford are still continuing. They state that the Magpies hope Pedro’s current employers will agree to a fee near £30million.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano backs up claims of Dan Ashworth not giving up on Pedro yet. He has tweeted that talks are ‘ongoing’ and that this saga is ‘not over’.
Newcastle do have an advantage in their bid to sign Pedro, which is the fact the 20-year-old wants to move to St James’ Park. It’s previously been claimed that he wants to play alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton.
And 90min state that Pedro is now pushing for a move to the North East.
Newcastle are pushing, and so is Pedro. But at the moment, he remains a Watford player and will remains so until an acceptable offer is submitted.
Time for Newcastle to return to the table
With the clock ticking on the transfer window and Newcastle still in desperate need of an attacker, Ashworth needs to take the plunge on Pedro.
The club clearly think he fits the bill of what they want, and he’s keen on a move. He’s young and versatile, and has the potential to get a lot better. In the words of former Watford boss Xisco Munoz, he’s an ‘exciting player‘.
If Newcastle are right in thinking that Watford will sell for around £30million then there isn’t a big gap to bridge. Even if it’s more than what the Magpies want to spend, it’s time for the Toon owners to bite the bullet.
Sooner or later, something has to give. We need attacking reinforcements, and Pedro could prove to be an astute signing.
He’s going to cost a lot of money, but it will hopefully be worth it in years to come.