Arsenal have initiated negotiations to sign Chelsea striker Joao Pedro, expressing a willingness to pay £86 million for the Brazilian.
Arsenal boss, Mikel Arteta, has already strengthened his title-winning team with three new signings, including Christos Tzolis and Illan Meslier, and has activated a clause to secure Piero Hincapie on a permanent basis.
The Gunners are also nearing an £80 million agreement for Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes while they pursue an ambitious acquisition of Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior.
Arteta is eager to add a new striker to the Emirates Stadium following Viktor Gyokeres’ inconsistent first season at Arsenal.
Julian Alvarez was Arteta’s primary target at the beginning of the summer; however, a transfer for the Argentine striker appears unlikely as Atletico Madrid is demanding significantly more than £100 million.
Arsenal had previously shown interest in Pedro prior to his £60 million transfer to Chelsea and have rekindled their pursuit this summer, as reported by Brazilian outlet Globo.
The Premier League champions even suggested they would be willing to pay 100 million euros (£86 million) for Pedro, but Chelsea promptly rejected the offer.
Pedro is regarded as one of the ‘untouchable’ players by the Stamford Bridge hierarchy, a position that became clear after Barcelona reached out to discuss a potential transfer.
Pedro is regarded as one of the ‘untouchable’ members of the squad by the executives at Stamford Bridge, a perception that first arose after Barcelona initiated discussions regarding a potential transfer.
In response to the interest from Arsenal
