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Premier League giants Liverpool and Arsenal are reportedly keen on making a bold swoop to sign Barcelona's star midfielder Pedi for just £51 million, according to reports in Marca.
Pedri first came to Barcelona from Las Palmas in 2020 and has since been instrumental in reinforcing the Catalan club's midfield. He was previously considered 'untouchable', but his recent injury record has reportedly opened doors for his departure from the Catalan club according to the aforementioned report.
Marca's report also claims that Barcelona are looking to generate finances to buy new players in the transfer window, and Pedri's big-money move will help that cause. The Catalan club previously put a reported price tag of £68 million on Pedri. However, the Marca report suggests that they are now willing to sell him for as low as £51 million.
Liverpool are currently showing the most interest in signing the Barcelona talent. However, Mikel Arteta is reportedly keen on strengthening Arsenal's midfield for the upcoming season and Pedri seems to be a serious contender for a move to the Emirates Stadium.
With Jurgen Klopp leaving at the end of this season, Liverpool's future seems a bit uncertain. Although managers like Arne Slot, Ruben Amorim, Roberto De Zerbi, and others are linked with a potential move to Anfield, Pedri is better off joining the North London side over the Red Devils if he leaves the Catalan giants this season.
Pedri's incessant injury problems at Barcelona
After Pedri's signing in June 2020, Marca claimed that he was the signing of the decade. The lanky teenager produced a performance to remember against Juventus in the Champions League and outshone even a certain Lionel Messi. That performance started the meteoric rise of Pedri, and, in turn, his overuse.
In his debut season for Barcelona, Ronald Koeman made him play 53 games, barely giving him a day off. Luis Enrique was even more aggressive, and Pedri played all but one minute in Spain's Euro 2020 run. By the end of the season, Pedri had played 73 games and over 4000 minutes in all competitions.
September 2021 started a series of injuries for the midfield prodigy, starting with a hamstring pull. After missing three games, Pedri was back on the field. However, the same area was injured again, and this time, it was serious.
After missing three full weeks, Pedri suffered another serious muscle tear, which put him on the bench for the rest of the 2022 season. Pedri came back in August 2022 and formed a deadly partnership with Gavi and Frenkie De Jong before things went downhill again. He pulled a series of hamstring pulls in matches and training sessions that ruled him out for the rest of 2023.
Pedri returned in 2024 and was beginning to find pockets of space and his magical touches. However, dark days returned, and he was seen limping off the pitch in a match against Bilbao.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see the transfer drama unfold between Barcelona and other European giants for the Spanish prodigy.
