Chelsea Secures Joao Pedro on Long-Term Deal as No 9

Chelsea are preparing to lock Joao Pedro into the heart of their project for the long haul, with the club poised to extend the striker’s contract through to 2034 ahead of the new Premier League season.

Voices inside Stamford Bridge are confident the paperwork will be wrapped up. Those close to the 24-year-old go further: they say a full agreement is already in place on a deal running to 2032, with Chelsea holding an option to stretch it by another two years.

Either way, the message is clear. Chelsea have found their man up front and intend to build around him.

From big fee to big return

When Joao Pedro arrived from Brighton last summer in a deal worth an initial £55m, plus £5m in add-ons, it raised eyebrows. Another major outlay. Another attacking gamble.

Inside the club, that debate has long since ended. He is viewed as a major success.

Last season he became the first Chelsea striker since Diego Costa to hit 20 goals in a campaign without the help of penalties – a landmark that underlined both his reliability and his edge in front of goal. He also delivered on the big stage, scoring three times during Chelsea’s Club World Cup-winning run last summer.

The form has not cooled over the break. Joao Pedro has struck eight goals in seven pre-season matches, walking into the new campaign as the undisputed focal point of the attack.

New season, new status

That status will be on full display on Monday. Joao Pedro is expected to lead the line when Chelsea open their Premier League season away at Fulham, spearheading a frontline that now has depth behind it.

New signings Danny Welbeck and Emmanuel Emegha are set to provide cover and competition, but the hierarchy is obvious. The Brazilian is the starter. The others are chasing him.

The club have underlined that hierarchy with a symbolic move: Joao Pedro has been handed the number nine shirt, the most scrutinised number in the squad and one that has weighed heavily on several of his predecessors.

Liam Delap has given it up. His future now looks to lie elsewhere.

Delap on the market

Chelsea are open to moving Delap on, valuing the striker at around £50m. That price has not scared everyone off. Nottingham Forest and Leeds United are both monitoring the situation and are interested in a deal.

For Delap, the path to regular minutes at Stamford Bridge has narrowed. For Joao Pedro, it has never looked clearer.

A year after arriving, he has the goals, the shirt, and soon, it seems, a contract that could carry him through the next decade in blue. The question now is simple: can he turn this faith into the kind of era-defining centre-forward Chelsea have been chasing since Costa left?