Newcastle ‘Step Up Pursuit’ of Arsenal, Liverpool Target, Make Alexander Isak Plan | OneFootball

Newcastle United are reportedly expected to plough ahead with a move for Brighton & Hove Albion forward João Pedro, who has been billed as a perfect foil rather than replacement for the club’s leading talisman Alexander Isak.

Eddie Howe’s side squeaked into the Champions League despite losing to Everton on the final day of the Premier League season. This top-five finish affords Newcastle the financial freedom to not only hold on to their best players, but bolster a thin squad with stars that other rivals are also chasing.

Pedro appears to be top of the club’s shortlist, The Telegraph claim. The Brazilian forward was thought to be a target for Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. The Blues have since added Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap to their attacking ranks, but last season’s Premier League top two remain on the hunt for a new striker.

If any club wants to prise Pedro away from the south coast, it is expected to cost as much as £59 million ($79.2 million).

Newcastle have money to spend. The Magpies were also thought to be interested in Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo before he made the somewhat puzzling decision to favour a move to Manchester United—a side which finished 10 places and 24 points behind Newcastle in last season’s Premier League table.

Howe is reportedly in search of an attacking outlet to dovetail with Isak. The Swedish striker racked up an impressive 23 Premier League goals last season, prompting admiring glances from clubs scattered across the continent. However, Isak has been effectively priced out of move away this summer and Newcastle are instead prioritising a move for someone to lighten the goalscoring load.

Behind Isak, Newcastle’s next top scorer last season was Harvey Barnes with nine goals. Pedro hit double digits for Brighton despite playing less than 2,000 league minutes in 2024–25 and has been billed as a “perfect partner” for Isak.

If Pedro is taken off the table, it gives Arsenal even more reason to advance negotiations with RB Leipzig over a potential move for Benjamin Šeško. Liverpool, by comparison, appear to be diverting a swollen proportion of their summer budget to the increasingly costly arrival of attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz.