Chelsea FC sign Pedro from FC Barcelona
Pedro (credit: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
Chelsea have signed winger Pedro from Barcelona for a fee of around £21million.
The 28-year-old Spain international was in London on Wednesday evening to agree personal terms ahead of his move to Stamford Bridge, which was completed on Thursday.
The news is sure to come as a major blow for Louis van Gaal and Manchester United who have been tracking the player for a large part of the summer and looked set to lure him to England.
Van Gaal had viewed Pedro as the ideal replacement for Angel Di Maria following his move to Paris Saint-Germain.
Jose Mourinho looks to have trumped his rival however as Chelsea react to a poor start to the season that leaves them with just one point from six in the wake of their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
He will be the Blues second signing in less than a week after the arrival of Ghana defender Baba Rahman.
Pedro is a product of Barcelona’s famous youth system and has scored 99 goals in 326 appearances since his debut in 2008 for the La Liga champions.
The emergence of Neymar alongside the arrival of Luis Suarez at Camp Nou however has led to fewer first team starting chances than Pedro desired and he has decided to seek a new challenge.
Pedro has won the Champions League three times, including scoring a goal in the 2011 final against Man United, as well as five La Liga titles.
He also won the World Cup and European Championship with Spain in 2010 and 2012 respectively.
