Newcastle refuse to give up on landing Watford forward

After failing to land their target last summer, Newcastle United are keen on acquiring Watford forward Joao Pedro next summer, according to reports emerging on Monday.

On the verge of November 2022, Adam Leventhal of The Athletic revealed that there was, indeed, an offer submitted by Newcastle to Watford prior to deadline day and another, final one, just hours before the window closed.

According to Leventhal’s report, Newcastle’s attempts to sign Joao Pedro “went right to the wire and was more than hearsay,” revealing an offer of “€35m earlier in the window” and a “last-ditch attempt on the morning of deadline day with sporting director Dan Ashworth involved in the negotiations with Watford’s hierarchy.“

On Monday, April 10, new information popped up linking Newcastle to Joao Pedro.

Wayne Veysey, of Football Insider, reported that Newcastle “have ‘concrete’ interest in Joao Pedro going into the summer,” confirming there was an offer “worth €35m including add-ons” rejected by Watford last summer.

According to Veysey, Newcastle regard Pedro as a “top talent with versatility and pace,” and think the Brazilian forward could “play in a number of roles,” particularly “center-forward and behind the striker on both flanks.”

Veysey’s “well-placed source” told him the interest by Newcastle in the player is “concrete,” although the board of the Magpies knows Pedro signed a long-term contract in September that doesn’t run out until June 2028, potentially making for a hard negotiation to extract the forward from Watford.

This season, Pedro has scored nine goals (with four assists) in 31 Championship games, 27 of them as part of Watford’s starting XI.

With the potential departure of Allan Saint-Maximin next summer and a reported interest from big clubs such as Inter, Sevilla, and Milan in landing the Frenchman, it makes sense for Newcastle to sign someone that can replace what the winger has to offer.

That, along with the submitted (and rejected) bid for Joao Pedro last summer, surely makes for a compelling and believable rumor story to follow in the next few weeks and through the summer transfer window.