Pedro to Chelsea: Jose Mourinho's personal intervention secured deal as Louis van Gaal dithered on Barcelona winger

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho’s personal intervention sealed a £21.1m deal to buy Barcelona winger Pedro, ahead of Manchester United who also look likely to be rejected by Southampton in their pursuit of the Senegal international Sadio Mané.


As things stand, Southampton are not interested in selling the 23-year-old Mané, who has three years left on his contract and is regarded as a key figure in their season. The talks between the clubs are not thought to have reached the point where an offer has been made, but Southampton do not believe that they have to sell, having made around £37m from the sales of Morgan Schneiderlin and Nathaniel Clyne this summer.

In the case of Pedro, Chelsea were confident that they had a deal agreed in principle with the player for some time. They were prepared to meet the £21.1m buyout clause in Pedro’s contract and were sure they had an understanding that he wanted to join them. Their interest was long-standing, dating back to January, although they have delayed in completing the deal over the summer.

A phone call from Mourinho to Pedro this week is understood to have made it clear to the player that Chelsea wanted him, while Louis van Gaal’s delay in making up his mind undermined the United bid.