Premier League rivals Fulham and Crystal Palace are stepping up their pursuit of Pedro with Flamengo willing to let the Brazil international leave on loan, as reported by Tuttomercatoweb.
It emerged over the weekend that Fulham’s transfer activity – or a lack thereof – was starting to grate on head coach Marco Silva (The Athletic). So the long-awaited arrival of Joao Palhinha from Sporting Lisbon some 24 hours later could hardly have come at a better time.
Like a refreshing glass of ice-cool water washing away a grizzly hangover.
The Cottagers have finally hit a breakthrough in their pursuit of Manor Solomon too, while Andreas Pereira is also on his way after Manchester United accepted an initial £9 million bid. Silva’s frustration, then, will be turning to relief.
But Fulham are not done yet. Far from it. The former Everton boss reportedly wants up to ten new signings and a striker to ease the burden on Aleksandr Mitrovic’s bodybuilder shoulders is just one of them.
Fulham and Crystal Palace want Pedro
Pedro, a 25-year-old centre-forward with one cap for the Brazilian national team, could do exactly that. Then again, his goalscoring record in recent months leaves a lot to be desired. Pedro found the net just nine times in 34 games last term.
But a tally of 21 from 2019/20 – form that earned him his Selecao call-up – shows what Pedro is capable of when he’s on song. TMW believe that Flamengo may be willing to accept loan bids. That is despite the fact they rejected a £30 million bid from Palmeiras not so long ago.
Guillem Balague reported in March that Southampton, Brighton, Wolves and Crystal Palace were showing an interest. Fulham have since joined the race after securing promotion. And the Cottagers now appear to be sharing pole position with London neighbours Palace.
Whether Pedro can adapt to the pace of Premier League football, however, is up for debate. His previous spell in a major European league was a disaster after all. He made just four goalless appearances being cast out of Fiorentina.
“There’s a reason Fiorentina gave him up. He has many qualities but he is slow,” explains South American expert Tim Vickery. “In European football, there is less space. And he doesn’t have the speed to attack space.”
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