Pedro Chelsea transfer: Jose Mourinho, Cesc Fabregas and wife key to stealing Spaniard from Man United

BEFORE Man United announced they had ended their interest in Pedro, the Barcelona winger was already on a plane to sign for Chelsea. Here’s how it transpired.

KIEV, UKRAINE - JULY 01: (L-R) Cesc Fabregas, Pedro and Victor Valdes of Spain pose with the trophy in the dressing room following the UEFA EURO 2012 final match between Spain and Italy at the Olympic Stadium on July 1, 2012 in Kiev, Ukraine. (Photo by Handout/UEFA via Getty Images)

JOSE Mourinho 1 Louis van Gaal 0.

Chelsea’s stunning heist of Pedro from under the noses of Manchester United resembles something out of a Hollywood movie, with Jose Mourinho, Cesc Fabregas and his girlfriend the daring thieves.

The Barcelona winger looks headed for Stamford Bridge, despite being heavily linked to the Red Devils for much of the summer, and how the shock move transpired has captivated the football world.

The official line out of Old Trafford is that manager Louis van Gaal ended United’s interest in Pedro on earlier this week, but the fact executive chairman Ed Woodward was in Spain to complete the deal tells a very different story.

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United’s dithering over Pedro’s £21.1m ($45m) buyout clause opened the door to Chelsea, and Mourinho, acknowledging the need for reinforcements following the champions’ terrible start to the season, didn’t need a second invitation.

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While Woodward was haggling over a fee for the World Cup and Champions League winner, offering £17.6m (A$37.5m) plus £3.5m (A$7.5m) according to Ian Herbert of the Independent, the Blues were preparing their swoop, unbeknownst to United, offering the £19m upfront, with a further £2m in add ons, that was needed to convince Barca to sell.

Blues director Marina Granovskaia opened talks with the Catalans, reports Matt Law in the UK Telegraph, while Mourinho and Fabregas, with the Spanish club’s permission, made personal phone calls to Pedro.

A picture Manchester United fans won’t want to see.

Fabregas - a former teammate of Pedro’s - who left Barcelona after growing disenchanted in Spain, spruiked the London club to his countryman, but it was the chat with Mourinho that made up Pedro’s mind, according to the Guardian’s Dominic Fifield and Jamie Jackson.

“Fàbregas was able to offer assurances regarding life at Stamford Bridge, though Mourinho went further, offering an explanation as to how Pedro will fit into his first team,” the Guardian reports.

Leaving nothing to chance, Fabregas’s girlfriend, Daniella Semaan, made contact with Pedro’s wife Carolina Martin about moving to London. It seems the ‘happy wife, happy life’, mantra is just as applicable in football.

Fabregas and his girlfriend made calls to Pedro and his wife.

By the time the Red Devils indicated they were ending their interest in Pedro, the 28-year-old had already boarded a flight from London to sign with the Premier League champions, where he will have a medical before signing on Thursday (Australian time).

The Mirror’s David McDonnell says it was van Gaal’s hard-line stance, and treatment of former teammate of Pedro’s, Victor Valdes, as well as David De Gea, that dissuaded the Spaniard from moving to Manchester.

“It has emerged Van Gaal’s treatment of some of his United players, particularly exiled goalkeeper Victor Valdes, may have played a part in Pedro’s decision to reject a move to Old Trafford,” McDonnell wrote.

“It has been suggested Pedro had second thoughts on moving to the Red Devils after hearing tales of Van Gaal’s autocratic treatment when it comes to dealing with his squad.

Jose Mourinho 1 Louis van Gaal 0

“Van Gaal’s handling of another Spaniard, David De Gea, and his ongoing predicament may also have caused Pedro to have a change of heart over his next destination.”

Pedro is Chelsea-bound.

The Daily Mail’s Simon Jones reports “Pedro was understood to be unimpressed by United’s pursuit after failing to be convinced that they really wanted him to join”, but the Manchester Evening News tells a different story.

Quoting an unnamed United source, MEN claim “it is absolutely not the case that Pedro has chosen Chelsea over United”, with van Gaal deciding he was satisfied with his attacking options after the 3-1 win over Club Brugge in Wednesday’s Champions League playoff, while also having doubts over the winger’s ability to adapt to English football.

That seems bizarre, considering the Red Devils have been chasing Pedro for over a month, and the manager’s actions can’t have gone down well with Woodward, who now looks rather daft for flying to Spain only to have the manager pull the plug.

For the third time since the Dutchman’s arrival at Old Trafford last year, van Gaal’s intervention was decisive, following the collapsed moves from Toni Kroos and Arturo Vidal, though the MEN admit the boss’ stance on Pedro could be an act of “face-saving”.