Everton open initial talks with Watford to sign Joao Pedro with Anthony Gordon close to Chelsea
Everton have reportedly opened initial talks with Watford to sign their attacker Joao Pedro to replace the Chelsea-bound Anthony Gordon.
According to the Daily Mail, they are willing to match what Newcastle are paying to sign the 20-year-old Brazilian forward this summer.
The Magpies have offered £30million and a similar bid is now being prepared by the Toffees who see the player as a potential Gordon replacement.
Makes sense
Any deal for Gordon now will see the Toffees making a lot of money and signing a replacement for half that fee is only going to be seen as good business.
The 21-year-old appears to have his heart set on a move to Stamford Bridge and the Toffees have resisted offers made by other clubs in the past.
However, his value is unlikely to be any higher than the reported £60million they’re getting for him so it makes a world of sense to cash in.
Pedro may not be as polished but at 20, one does not expect a player to be the most refined and he will get better with time.
He could not just be a Gordon replacement but could also play the Richarlison role in a 3-4-3 system and his positional awareness means that it could almost be like playing two central strikers.
Vitaliy Mykolenko anyway enjoys going forward and he’ll have the heads of Calvert-Lewin and Pedro to aim at rather than just one.
We’re excited by the prospect of having him at the club and hopefully, Everton can get Billy Gilmour as part of the deal as Frank Lampard clearly admires him.