Newcastle United target Joao Pedro is NOT in the Watford squad ahead of their clash with Preston today.
The Athletic reported last night that the Brazilian had not travelled North with the squad due to ‘ankle pain’, yet the official update from Watford today states that he’s missing with a ‘minor calf injury.’
Considering we had a second bid – worth a total of £25m – rejected for the highly-rated forward a few days ago, it all seems a bit suspicious that he’s not featuring at all today.
He played the full 90 in their draw at Birmingham in midweek and no injury was reported after the game, while Watford insider @louorns revealed last night that he was expected to miss out due to ‘intense negotiations with Newcastle.’
So, is he really injured or is his head somewhere else now he’s pushing to seal a late move to St James’ Park? I suspect it may be the latter, with Ismaila Sarr also missing from the squad following strong links with Crystal Palace.
