Pat Nevin claims his former club Chelsea have secured a “better deal” for a striker this summer than Liverpool.

The Blues have paid a total of £60m for Joao Pedro, and Nevin says that the Brazilian is greater value for money compared to the £125m that the Premier League champions have splashed out on Alexander Isak:

“The club have brought Joao Pedro in for half the price of Isak. Is Isak really twice the player that Joao Pedro is? I don’t think so.”

“He’s a fabulous player, he’s probably better than Joao Pedro at the moment, but if you’re looking at smart money, then Chelsea have got the better deal.”

Pedro has been linked with Liverpool

It is believed that Reds scouts have been keeping tabs on the forward ever since he came through the ranks at Fluminense. He then made subsequent moves to Watford and Brighton prior to joining Chelsea back in July.

Pedro has had a superb start to life at Stamford Bridge, having scored 5 times in his first 6 appearances, but there were likely good reasons why Liverpool were hesitant about pursuing a deal for the player despite holding a longstanding interest in him.

Isak v Pedro’s numbers compared

You only have to look at the stats over the past three seasons to see why Liverpool opted to break the British transfer record for Isak.

During his time at Newcastle, the Swedish international contributed 62 goals and 11 assists across all competitions. Pedro, in contrast, produced 41 goals and 14 assists in the same period (with one of those seasons being in the Championship).

You can argue all you like about who is the best value, but there is no doubt that Chelsea would have preferred Isak as well if they had a choice between signing both players.

Read more about the Liverpool First Team Squad for 2025/26 here