Newcastle United

Newcastle United

Premier League • England

Newcastle tipped to make new bid for Watford attacker after having opening £20m offer rejected

Joao Pedro of Watford

Newcastle are preparing to come back with improved terms after seeing their first bid for Watford star Joao Pedro pushed back, according to a report.

Pedro came through the ranks at Fluminense in his native Brazil. He made 28 appearances for the club, scoring seven times, before moving to Watford in January 2020. The Hornets paid £3.6million to bring him to England, as per transfermarkt.

The centre-forward, who can also operate as a winger, is currently on 14 goals from 77 outings for Watford.

He has played all three of their Championship matches so far and scored the winner in the 1-0 victory over Sheffield United on August 1.

Pedro, like a few of his Watford team-mates, is viewed as being too good for the second tier. He has proven he is able to compete in the Premier League.

Attacking team-mate Emmanuel Dennis has already gone back to the top flight by joining Nottingham Forest. Watford sold him for £20m, which saw them make a decent profit on the Nigerian.

And they could make even more money on Pedro. According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle admire the 20-year-old and want to take him to St James’ Park this summer.

The Magpies have bid an initial £20m, plus £3m in add-ons, for him. But this was rejected by Watford.

Watford stance on Joao Pedro emerges

Watford are aiming to keep Pedro as he will be a huge help in them getting back to the Prem at the first time of asking. However, Rob Edwards’ side could sell if Newcastle come in with a bigger offer.

The report states Newcastle rate Pedro highly and like the fact he can operate in several positions across the forward line.

The Tyneside outfit had set their sights on Hugo Ekitike earlier in the year, only for him to sign for Paris Saint-Germain.

Since then, Newcastle have been linked with several attacking stars. It looks like Pedro is their new top target.

The Watford man would be a good option for Howe, plus he suits the Newcastle project. They want to sign young players with big potential, and Pedro fits into this bracket.

The Daily Mail also provide an insight into Watford’s thinking on Ismaila Sarr. Like Pedro, he appears to be too good for the Championship and due to this Prem clubs are weighing up bids.

Watford would rather lose Sarr than Pedro, according to the report. But with Newcastle pushing hard to get Pedro, he could end up leaving Vicarage Road first.

Newcastle’s next match is against reigning Prem champions Manchester City on Sunday afternoon. Watford, meanwhile, come up against Birmingham in the Championship tonight (Tuesday).

Meanwhile, Newcastle are also preparing to launch a move for a Ligue 1 striker they have been monitoring for months.