Chelsea have agreed a deal with FC Barcelona to sign winger Pedro Rodriguez for a fee of £21m. The 28-year-old, who was a target for Manchester United, is flying from Spain to London to finalise the terms of the transfer and will become the fourth most important transfer of the summer for Jose Mourinho's men.

London calling

It's been a move that finally could be settled. Having been Neymar's understudy on the left wing and finding it hard to get a starting role only on occassions with injuries with either Lionel Messi or Luis Suarez, Pedro's arrival could be a breath of fresh air for the Blues, as they look to push Juan Cuadrado out the door after a disappointing seven months at Stamford Bridge following his £23.3m move from Fiorentina in January. He is looking to compete for a starting role on the wing alongside Eden Hazard and Willian.

Chelsea are not done with their summer business, however. They are also keen to sign Everton defender John Stones, who have already turned down offers of £20m and £26m and, reportedly, a third worth £30m.

The champions are without a win in their opening two Premier League games for the first time since 1998, and while they look to be favourites to win the title, the last time the defending champions went in their first two games without winning and went on to win the title was Manchester United in the 2007-08 season, where they also won the UEFA Champions League.

Pedrito

United ironically enough were interested in the Spanish midfielder as they were looking to replace Argentine winger Angel Di Maria, who has joined French champions Paris Saint-Germain for £44.3m, following one lackluster season at Old Trafford.

Pedro made 50 appearances for Barcelona last season in the second treble winning side and in the combined 321 matches he's played for the club ever since joining La Masia at the age of 17, has won the Champions League three times, including scoring a goal in the 2011 final against United, as well as five La Liga titles. He also won the World Cup and European Championship with Spain in 2010 and 2012 respectively.

He has made three appearances this campaign and came off the bench to score the winner, and what possibly was his last goal for the club, in the dramatic 5-4 UEFA Super Cup victory over fellow Spanish side and Europa League champions Sevilla.

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About the author
Roberto Rojas
Writing about the beautiful game. Cohost of the @LowLimitFutbol Podcast.