Chelsea receive fresh Joao Pedro message after Arsenal approach

12 Oct 2026 07:59 BST 2 min read

Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

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Chelsea forward Morgan Rogers has heaped praise on Joao Pedro following the club’s decision to reject a summer sale amid strong interest from Arsenal and Barcelona.

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The Brazil striker was heavily linked with an exit during the early weeks of the summer transfer window, with Arsenal and Barcelona both identifying him as a top target amid their pursuit of attacking reinforcements.

However, Chelsea had no interest in sanctioning a sale and after placing him on their list of ‘untouchable’ players, they finalised a contract extension agreement in August, with Pedro’s deal now running until 2034.

Current ETV

ETV Range

€77.7M - €95M

The 25-year-old has been a revelation since his move to Stamford Bridge, and his goalscoring exploits may come as a major shock to former head coach Enzo Maresca, who told reporters last October: “Joao’s going to score goals and give us assists. He is not going to score 20 goals a year. He's a different striker profile.”

Pedro hit back with exactly 20 goals across all competitions during his debut campaign at Chelsea and when asked about Maresca’s comments following the club’s 5-1 win over Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon, Rogers was quick to disagree.

“He's on top of his game right now, he works in training on arriving, getting in the box and scoring goals, and he's been doing that every game since I've been here,” Rogers told The Sun.

“Maybe he's changed, maybe he's adapting from last season. He's definitely a goal scorer in my eyes.”

Pedro has now scored 28 goals in just 59 games since his arrival at Chelsea, including five in six matches this season, and his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) stands at a career-high of €86.3 million, in part thanks to his recent contract extension.

Who will Arsenal sign in 2027?

After failing to sign Pedro or fellow top striker target Julian Alvarez over the summer, Arsenal are expected to dip into the transfer market in 2027, with Viktor Gyokeres’ place in the squad set to be under threat.

The Gunners have been tipped to rekindle their interest in Alvarez next year, despite his reluctance to return to the Premier League, while they may opt to step up their pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen star Christian Kofane.

The 20-year-old has been linked with an Emirates Stadium switch for several months and it’s understood that contract extension talks with Leverkusen have stalled, which could allow Mikel Arteta’s side to swoop.