Chelsea to sign Barcelona winger Pedro in £22m deal next week

Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Spain international Pedro from Barcelona.

According to the Daily star, Luis Enrique is willing to keep Pedro but he will respect the winger's wish if he wants to leave as Chelsea have agreed to meet his buy-out fee.

Enrique said: "My wish is that Pedro stays, but there are circumstances in his contract and I will respect his opinion if he wants to leave."

The Blues have already offered the 27-year-old a four-year contract and are confident of completing the transfer without a hitch.

But it cannot be finalised until after Barcelona's presidential elections take place this weekend.

That's because the Catalan club's temporary board are currently barred from signing off on any transfers.

Liverpool and Inter Milan were also interested in Pedro, but they are set to miss out as Chelsea are his preferred option.

Pedro is concerned about a lack of playing time at Barca, where he is competing with Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.

But he has been guaranteed a bigger role at Chelsea, where he can team up alongside former Barca team-mate Cesc Fabregas.

That would boost his chances of forcing his way into the Spain squad for next summer's Euros.

Asked about his situation this week, Pedro said: "There are offers for me this summer and the situation is difficult.

"Any player wants to have playing time but it is getting more and more difficult with every season that passes.

"I would like to have finished my career here but we will have to see what happens. Obviously you are happier when you can play."

Pedro only signed a new contract last month committing his future to the Spanish giants until 2019.