“I honestly believe that Newcastle would have to double their offer” – Magpies see transfer bid for Watford star rejected: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Since Watford rejected a £20 million pound Newcastle United bid for forward Joao Pedro, conflicting reports have emerged.

Football Insider, for example, claim that the Hornets have slapped a £30 million price tag on the 20-year-old Brazilian.

Meanwhile, the Evening Standard claim that the Hornets are adamant they will not sell Joao Pedro this summer, seeing him as a key part of their present and future.

With all of the above in mind, below, three of our writers here at FLW have offered their verdict on the saga.

Toby Wilding

It doesn’t feel like a huge surprise that Watford have rejected this bid for Pedro in all honesty.

The Hornets have just been dealt a big blow in terms of their attacking options with the departure of Emmanuel Dennis, so they are surely not going to want to let another influential forward player go quickly or easily.

Indeed, having just received a sizeable fee for the sale of Dennis, and given there are still reportedly five years remaining on Pedro’s contract with Watford, they are under no pressure to sell him anytime soon from a financial perspective either.

As a result, it does feel as though Watford are in a strong position to keep hold of Pedro should they wish to do so, meaning it could be argued that a club such as Newcastle may have to offer something around at least £30million, if they are to have a chance of making this deal happen.

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Marcus Ally

Watford are in a very financially secure position and for that reason it feels more likely than not, that Joao Pedro stays at the club in this transfer window and this season for that matter.

The Brazilian is a key player for the Hornets and part of the club’s long term plans.

Therefore, any buying club would have to significantly overpay for what his true value in the transfer market is, to have any chance of reeling him in.

The versatile forward has three years left on his deal at Vicarage Road, and in that Watford can inflate his price tag due to his potential.

That could make him worth around £30 million, but once again, even if a club offered that money I think Watford would reject it.

Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson

I honestly believe that Newcastle would have to double their offer for Joao Pedro before it was even considered by the hierarchy at Watford.

Given how much he has featured for the Hornets, it is easy to forget that the Brazilian is still just 20-years-old, and you can see improvement in his performances every time he steps onto the pitch.

Pedro can play a starring role for Watford this campaign, and when you also factor in the length of his contract, age, current ability and his enormous potential, the Hornets will surely demand a much larger fee than Newcastle have offered.

I can see why Newcastle wouldn’t want to pay that, but at the same time, why Watford would demand it.

In all honesty, it just does not feel like the right time for Watford to cash in on their potential superstar given he is still improving and is tied to the club for another five years.