Newcastle United have reportedly had a bid rejected for Watford forward Joao Pedro.
News broke on Monday night that the Magpies had made a move for the Brazilian, but it had been turned down. Sky Sports first claimed that Newcastle had offered £17.5million for the 20-year-old.
Watford’s stance is that Pedro is not for sale, but Dan Ashworth is reportedly considering a second offer.
However, the Hornets would rather Newcastle made a move for another one of their players.
Watford more interested in selling Ismaila Sarr
According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle rate Pedro very highly. His ability to play out wide and through the middle is appealing, and he’s a player who moved to Watford with a lot of potential.
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And he still has a lot of room for growth. He’s only 20, and his spent his time at Watford playing for a yo-yo club. It’s quite admirable that so far he’s stayed with them after two relegations.
Another player who has done the same is Ismaila Sarr, and he’s a man who Watford do want to sell.
The Daily Mail state that Watford would be more receptive to offers for the Senegalese winger. It was reported earlier in the summer that they are keen for him to leave Vicarage Road.
Watford have already cashed in on one of their top players this summer. Emmanuel Dennis has gone to Nottingham Forest.
They would clearly like to do the same with Sarr, who was previously tipped to be a cheaper alternative to Moussa Diaby for Newcastle.
Pedro vs Sarr
But instead the Magpies have gone for Pedro, which is a bid that came totally out of the blue. However, he might be a better buy over Sarr given his versatility.
The 24-year-old winger has been linked with Newcastle ever since the takeover, and was even a target during the Mike Ashley era. Given that Watford are keen to sell, the Toon hierarchy must not be fully sold over him, otherwise we surely would have made a move already.
It’s surprising to see that no one has signed Sarr yet. He’s an exciting talent who has been described as ‘frightening‘ by former teammate Ben Foster. But perhaps there is something putting teams off a bid.
While Watford would rather Newcastle took Sarr off their hands, the Magpies are instead pondering a second and improved bid for Pedro.
With just over two weeks left to go in the window, brace yourself for more twists and turns on the Toon transfer front.