Chelsea Secures Joao Pedro's Long-Term Future as No 9

Chelsea are preparing to lock Joao Pedro into the heart of their project for the next decade after his explosive first year at Stamford Bridge.

The club are set to renew the Brazilian striker’s contract until 2034 before the Premier League season kicks off, underlining how quickly he has gone from big-money gamble to attacking cornerstone.

Inside Chelsea, the message is clear: this is the forward they want to build around.

Sources at the club say they fully expect the deal to be completed, while figures close to the 24-year-old insist a full agreement is already in place on a contract running to 2032, with Chelsea holding an option to extend it by a further two years. However the paperwork is framed, the intention is long term and emphatic.

Chelsea paid an initial £55m, plus £5m in add-ons, to prise Joao Pedro from Brighton last summer. That fee already looks well spent.

He became the first Chelsea striker since Diego Costa to hit 20 goals in a season without the help of penalties, snapping a long and uncomfortable drought in the No 9 role. He also delivered on the big stage, scoring three times during Chelsea’s Club World Cup-winning campaign last summer, and he has carried that form straight into pre-season with eight goals in seven matches.

The reward is not just financial security. It is symbolic status.

Joao Pedro has been handed the number nine shirt, a jersey that has weighed heavily on several of his predecessors. Liam Delap has given up the number and is now available for transfer at around £50m, with Nottingham Forest and Leeds United among the clubs showing interest.

On the pitch, Joao Pedro’s importance is only growing. He is expected to lead the line when Chelsea open their Premier League campaign away to Fulham on Monday. New arrivals Danny Welbeck and Emmanuel Emegha are set to offer depth and competition, but the hierarchy is obvious.

Chelsea have picked their striker. Now they are trying to keep him for the long haul.