Juventus to Rival Roma in Race to Sign Chelsea Forward Pedro

Pedro
Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Juventus have joined Roma in the race to sign Pedro, with the Chelsea winger poised to depart Stamford Bridge when his contract expires in the summer.

Pedro is set to become a free agent on 30 June, bringing his five year spell in West London to a close, and the Spaniard has had no shortage of suitors.

With purse strings likely to tighten in the transfer market due to the financial uncertainty triggered by the coronavirus, a selection of sides across Europe and beyond have been linked with the winger in an attempt to land one of the bargains of the summer.

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Chelsea FC v Everton FC – Premier League | Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

In April, Roma were reported to have offered the 32-year-old a contract, but according to Il Tempo [via Sport Witness], they now face competition from Serie A rivals Juventus.

The interest comes directly from Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri, who spent a season working with Pedro at Chelsea, and ‘wants to manage him again’.

Pedro featured 52 times for Chelsea during Sarri’s single season in charge, scoring 13 times and helping the Blues to a Europa League triumph.

However, he has seen his game time severely restricted since the arrival of Frank Lampard in the summer, playing just nine times in the Premier League.

Juventus have a history of snapping up free transfers, with Aaron Ramsey, Adrian Rabiot, Emre Can, Sami Khedira and Dani Alves all arriving in Turin for nothing in recent seasons.

Pedro has reportedly already been offered a contract worth close to £3m per year by Roma.

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James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images

He has also attracted interest from the MLS, in addition to Qatari team Al Sadd, who are currently managed by his former Barcelona teammate Xavi.

The Premier League is set to return on 19 June – just two weeks before Pedro’s Chelsea deal expires. Premier League clubs voted unanimously to allow out of contract players to extend their stay through until the end of the season, with a decision required for each player by 23 June.

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