The 27-year-old Barcelona forward has been the subject of rumours throughout the summer after seeing his role in the first team gradually diminish, and the Spanish international has been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Chelsea FC the favourites for his signature
Barcelona forward Pedro has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League champions in the past week, but former French international and club legend Eric Abidal has vowed to keep the Spaniard at the club if Juan Laporta is voted in as the new president on the 18th of this month.
Pedro too valuable to the club to be sold, says Eric Abidal
The former Barcelona defender – who will be the sporting director if Laporta is voted in as new president – has insisted that Pedro remains an important part of the team, despite the 27-year-old falling down the pecking order gradually over the past couple of seasons with the signings of Neymar, Luis SuA?rez and now Arda Turan in successive summer transfer windows.
The Frenchman was quoted by news agency EFE as saying (via Sky Sports): “Players such as Pedro cannot be allowed to go. I know him as a player but also as a person. He is a player who fits into the first team very well. When we won everything in 2009, the most important goals were his.
“The work was of the whole team, but sometimes you have to go into the finer details and Pedro is a player who always gives these details. Pedro is still an important part of this squad, but everyone knows that the player always wants to play and before he had more minutes than now.
“If Laporta wins, we will look at his future from July 19.”
Chelsea FC likely to table bid for the Barcelona forward later this week
Abidal’s comments come after reports in the Catalan media earlier this week suggested that Pedro has made up his mind to leave Barcelona after conversations with Jos Mourinho and international team-mate and friend Cesc F bregas. Although Pedro has since denied having a conversation with Mourinho, his comments did appear to hint at a possible exit from his boyhood club.
Barcelona based newspaper SPORT have claimed that Pedro is considering a move to the English capital after being assured of an important role in the team by Mourinho, a method the Portuguese also used to bring F bregas to Stamford Bridge.
How Jose Mourinho has persuaded Pedro to consider Chelsea switch | Javier Miguel http://t.co/waKtQ5BZ9G
a SPORT English (@Sport_EN) July 13, 2015
Chelsea FC will be encouraged in their pursuit of the Barcelona forward particularly after the 27-year-old confirmed that his release clause had been reduced from a 150 million to just a 30 million, with the Premier League champions expected to make a formal offer after the Catalan giants’ presidential elections on the 18th.
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Potential move hinges entirely on Pedro’s wishes
The situation with Pedro is refreshingly uncomplicated. It boils down, quite simply, to what the Spain international wishes to do. If he wants to leave the club, there is very little Barcelona can do to prevent him from doing so, given the low release clause in his contract.
If Chelsea FC really want him, a fee of a 30 million will not affect any other transfer plans the Blues might have. ‘Pedro day’ is likely to be some time later this week, possibly even as early as the 19th. Should the Barcelona forward want out, chances are that he will be a Blue before the end of the month.