Watford manager Rob Edwards believes Joao Pedro should stay at Vicarage Road amid interest from Newcastle United.
The Magpies made a bid for the Brazilian on Monday, but it was rejected. Newcastle reportedly offered £20million up front plus £3million in add-ons, but Watford want closer to £30million.
Dan Ashworth is now pondering a second bid, as the club continue to search desperately for attacking reinforcements.
It’s been claimed that Pedro is interested in a move to St James’ Park. However, the Chronicle state that he will not push for a transfer.
In the meantime, he is still a Watford player, and was in action last night. He played in the Hornets’ 1-1 draw with Birmingham City, and his manager commented on the rumours after the game.
Watford boss on Joao Pedro future
Edwards has told the Athletic that he thinks Watford is the best place to be for Pedro right now. He has stated his desire to keep the youngster, without directly mentioning Newcastle’s appoach.
“Joao Pedro is already a very good player, I think he’s going to be an excellent footballer,” he said.
“I do believe this is the right place for him at the moment. I think he would really benefit from playing a full season with us and obviously helping the football club to where we want to be.
“I think he can play a huge part in that. I think he’s fully committed to that. He’s so mature for a young age and he understands what he needs to do as well.”
Edwards then went on to praise Pedro’s capabilities. He hailed how ‘intelligent he is, his versatility and his ‘commitment’.
However, the Watford manager did state that he could have done ‘slightly better’ in the final third against Birmingham.
Depends on how much Newcastle offer next
Watford’s stance seems to be pretty clear. Since the first bid went in it has been claimed that they do not want to sell. Their asking price is steep, while Pedro isn’t angling for a move.
Now we’ve got Edwards talking up the South American talent and explaining why Watford is the best place for him. Whether that’s true or not is for Pedro to decide.
However, he won’t be coming to Newcastle unless we make an even bigger offer. Watford’s stance may change if we put £30million on the table. Whether that’s something we are prepared to do remains to be seen.
The Magpies have been very careful this summer. They have walked away from multiple deals that have been deemed too expensive.
But the clock is ticking. We need attacking reinforcements. Pedro would be just that, capable of playing through the middle or out wide.
However, it looks like he won’t be joining Newcastle unless we make a very special offer, as Edwards is very keen to keep him at Vicarage Road.