Brighton agree club-record fee for 21-year-old Brazilian striker

Joao Pedro joined Watford in 2020 and really came into his own last season, scoring 11 goals in 35 appearances for the Hornets in the Championship.

The fee is expected to exceed the £20m Brighton paid to sign centre-back Adam Webster from Bristol City in 2019.

Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi is looking to bolster his striking options to supplement Evan Ferguson, Danny Welbeck and Deniz Undav.

Pedro is a centre-forward who can also play on either side of the attack and his versatility will prove incredibly valuable to De Zerbi.

Brighton sold Leandro Trossard to Arsenal during the January transfer window and declined to replace him immediately, but Pedro is now expected to fill the Belgian's spot in the squad.