Chelsea fans will be pretty happy with what they have seen from Joao Pedro so far. A fantastic debut performance off the bench against Palmeiras saw him get a start in the following game, which was the Club World Cup semi-final against Fluminense. The Brazilian forward rose to the occasion against his former side and scored two wonderful goals. He followed that up with a delightful chipped goal against PSG in the final to help the Blues win the tournament.
It would be safe to say that a lot of Chelsea fans were not convinced about the idea of signing Pedro. But he is already proving the doubters wrong.
Before Pedro was signed, a forward Chelsea were heavily linked with is Hugo Ekitike. But Eintracht Frankfurt were believed to be looking for a €100 million fee and the Blues decided to look at other players.
But with the future of Nicolas Jackson in doubt, the Ekitike to Chelsea rumours have never quite gone away. Unfortunately, it looks like he might be getting closer to a move to Liverpool instead.
'Agreed terms' - Chelsea target now ready to join Liverpool
As reported by Ben Jacobs, Liverpool have already agreed terms with Ekitike. They are now in talks with Eintracht Frankfurt after making a £70 million-plus verbal offer. A deal is possible between £75m-£80m. The two clubs are discussing structure, which may take a little time.
So, it looks like an Ekitike to Liverpool deal is advancing. Chelsea are set to miss out on a player they had seemed keen to sign earlier in the summer.
One has to admit, this has been quite the transfer window from Liverpool. They are the reigning Premier League champions and might have just gotten significantly better. Contenders like Chelsea will have to do something special if they want to give Arne Slot's side a real competition. Let's see what happens.