Report says Newcastle United in 'advanced talks' for João Pedro after £50m bid lodged

Newcastle United are finally making moves in the summer transfer window after a typically slow start.

While bids are being placed, the Magpies are typically going in with extremely low offers to get the lay of the land, but in the case of Anthony Elanga and Nottingham Forest, that backfired as the East Midlands club rejected their £45 million approach off-hand without a counter.

Talks for goalkeeper James Trafford are said to be completed between the player and the club, but Burnley and Newcastle remain far apart on the valuation of the 22-year-old, with Burnley demanding twice as much as it would have cost to land the player last year.

Newcastle have reportedly offered just an extra £5 million on top of the £20 million they offered 12 months ago, so there's still work to be done there.

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Newcastle are in advanced talks over a move for João Pedro

Meanwhile, The Chronicle are now reporting that 'advanced talks' are taking place between Newcastle and Brighton over a move for Brazilian forward João Pedro.

João Pedro has been on Newcastle's wishlist for a while now, and it seems they're starting to get serious with the report suggesting that a £50 million bid has been placed for the 23-year-old.

However, Brighton are holding out for a figure nearer £60 million to offset the fact they'd have to pay 20% for the fee they receive to Watford as part of a sell-on clause inserted into the deal when he made the move from Vicarage Road.

Newcastle are finding it difficult to find the sweet spot with bids this summer

While we absolutely understand Newcastle's desire to get the best deal possible, they also have to be realistic with their bids. It does sound like Newcastle are getting close to a deal with Brighton for João Pedro, but are still way off with Anthony Elanga from Forest.

Obviously, clubs inflate the value of their players, so there's always room for negotiations, but sometimes Newcastle tends to start a bit too low. James Trafford is the prime example. Stevie Wonder could see that £30 million would more than likely secure the deal, with Newcastle offering £20 million and Burnley wanting £40 million.

Again, we're aware it's probably not as simple as we're making it out to be, but there has to be some common sense involved. We don't want to overpay for anybody, but no clubs are going to deal with us if we keep making silly offers.