Chelsea reportedly face a battle to keep hold of Spanish forward Pedro in the summer, amid strong interest from Serie A giants AC Milan and Inter.
As per a report from the Daily Express, Chelsea are running the risk of losing winger Pedro in the summer transfer window, with the former Barcelona star being targeted by AC Milan and Inter Milan.
Pedro arrived at Chelsea in the summer of 2015 from Barcelona and has grown into a key member of the squad. Till date, the 31-year-old has notched up 173 appearances, scoring 37 goals, on his way to winning a Premier League title and an FA Cup. In the ongoing campaign, the Spaniard has netted 9 times and set up 3 more in 42 matches in all competitions.
However, Pedro’s future at Stamford Bridge has been cast under doubt as Serie A giants AC Milan and Inter Milan are lining up a summer move for the 31-year-old Spanish international, according to Daily Express.
AC Milan are in search of a new attacking addition with star playmaker Suso continuously linked with an exit in the summer. Even if the Spaniard does stay put with the Rossoneri, the lack of quality options in the wide areas is something that they might need to address and Pedro could prove to be a solid addition with his experience.
Inter Milan too could do with adding someone of the 31-year-old Chelsea’s quality and experience, given that both Matteo Politano and Keita Balde Diao will have their loan deals expire at the end of the season, leaving the Nerazzurri with just Ivan Perisic and Antonio Candreva as the options in the wide areas.
This development poses a huge conundrum for Chelsea, who are already facing the prospect of losing star attacker Eden Hazard in the summer. The Belgian is being pursued with intent by Real Madrid, who are reportedly confident on landing him ahead of the next season.
Add to this, Callum Hudson-Odoi’s future is also surrounded by clouds of uncertainty, with the teenager set to enter the final year of his contract at the end of the season. Chelsea are set to offer him in a new contract, but with the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester United interested, his situation is far from resolved.
Amidst all this, if Pedro also decides to move on, things could get worse for Chelsea. The Spaniard will also be entering the final twelve months of his contract with the Blues in the summer, meaning they will have to act fast to secure his future at the club.
Chelsea have taken a step towards reinforcing their wide areas, with Christian Pulisic set to arrive in the summer. However, the situation is made much more complicated by the two-window transfer ban imposed on them by FIFA.
The Blues have made an appeal against the ban and are also planning to go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to get the ban frozen should their appeal fail. But, if that fails too, they will be unable to bring in any replacements should any of their players leave. Given their current situation, Chelsea cannot afford to let Pedro go.
