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Rival manager called out-of-contract Chelsea ace to set up transfer as Blues exodus begins
Pedro looks to be closing in on a move to Roma this summer after the Chelsea ace was directly contacted by Paulo Fonseca.
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Pedro is expected to join Roma this summer after his contract expires at Chelsea. The Spaniard was reportedly called by the Serie A side's manager Paulo Fonseca in order to convince him to move to Italy.
Pedro is out-of-contract at Stamford Bridge at the end of the month and due to depart after five years in west London.
This would see the 32-year-old miss the end of the Premier League campaign, which has been delayed due to the coronavirus crisis.
Top-flight clubs have agreed to be allowed to enter into short-term contract extensions with players in this position, with the new deals covering the remaining fixtures of the 2019/20 season.
But the paperwork needs to be completed before the June 23 deadline and Chelsea are yet to strike an agreement with Pedro.
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The Spaniard has already revealed that he is keen to move at the end of the season, and it is unclear whether he is ready to risk injury by signing an emergency deal with the Blues.
Pedro is currently eligible to face Aston Villa on Sunday but will not be able to play against Manchester City the following Thursday unless Chelsea rush through a short-term extension.
Now reports from Italy suggest a deal with Roma is all but done after I Gallorossi boss Fonseca went out of his way to talk to Pedro.
Gazzetta dello Sport claim the winger will sign a two-year deal with the option of an extra 12 months.
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Pedro will supposedly pocket €3.5million (£3.1m) per year, which is a marked increase on the €3m (£2.7m) previously reported.
This is because of a post-COVID government decree which allows players who come to Italy for at least two years to be taxed not on their total income, but only on 30%.
Such a ruling makes a move to Rome all the more attractive to Pedro, who has already been told how highly he is rated by Fonseca.
Roma plan to utilise the forward either as a winger or a striker working in tandem with Edin Dzeko.
Corriere dello Sport claim Fonseca has been pushing hard for the transfer and Roma director Gianluca Petrachi has already closed the deal, although it is yet to be approved by club president James Pallotta.
Pedro's glittering resume is thought to have had a big impact on Roma's decision to pursue a transfer, with the veteran having regularly picked up silverware throughout his career.
Five La Liga titles and three Champions League trophies were the headline triumphs during seven years in the senior Barcelona squad while he also won the 2016/17 Premier League and then the Europa League the following year with Chelsea.
He will not be the only established player to leave the Blues this summer with Willian also out of contract while Michy Batshuayi, Emerson Palmieri and Tiemoue Bakayoko are all expected to be sold.