Brighton teammate drops hint on Joao Pedro transfer preference
Liverpool are on the brink of completing their first three transfers of the window this summer and once they're done, the attention will turn elsewhere with a new striker high on the shopping list.
Who will the club target is an incredibly loaded question. Plenty of players are available on the market, but rival clubs have already started pitching their projects in hopes of an early move.
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Given how impressive Liverpool were last season in the Premier League, and how well they have recruited so far this summer, you would expect players to be taking note of Arne Slot and his team.
But securing personal terms is not always straightforward and there are a lot of factors that are often overlooked, which can make transfer moves incredibly difficult. Liverpool might have just learnt of a potential deal breaker in their hunt for Joao Pedro to move from Brighton to Merseyside.
© IMAGO - Joao Pedro Liverpool
Pedro's teammate drops huge future hint
In an exclusive interview with Trivela, Igor Julio spoke at length about his teammate Joao Pedro.
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He said: "He always told me that he really wants to live in London, I think he will prioritise more what comes from there first."
As such, while Liverpool might not be completely out of the race for Pedro, it seems as though approaches from Chelsea and Arsenal will be those the Brazilian 23-year-old values more.
Regardless of which way you spin it, this is a blow for the Reds because both London based clubs are heavily interested in a striker and the Brighton No. 9 is a proven Premier League asset.
However, there's nothing Liverpool can do about it if geography is his decisive factor for a move.
The Reds' approach for Martin Zubimendi in the summer of 2024 was unsuccessful, not because the project being built wasn't attractive, but because he valued the culture and environment in Spain.
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Any sporting reasons for a move were dismissed right there and then. His decision to remain at Sociedad was a sentimental one. After a poor campaign this season, his impending move to Arsenal is based on an entirely different set of motivations. His sentimentality is now no longer important.
With Pedro, Liverpool are at their peak - having won the Premier League and spending money in the transfer window like never before - but the club's location in the North and not the South is decisive.
As such, the Reds will approach Pedro if they feel he could be a worthwhile asset to bring in, but no introspection is needed if he moves elsewhere. Sometimes, players just have their preferences.
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