EXCLUSIVE: João Pedro deal hits hurdle and Everton claims exposed as Watford star suffers injury

Watford have rejected Newcastle United's latest bid for João Pedro due to an issue over the structure of payments.

After speaking to a source close to Watford last night, we can exclusively reveal that Newcastle's most recent proposal looked to pay £25m across the next three years - an offer Vicarage Road chiefs are not prepared to accept for the Brazilian.

Instead, the Hornets want the bulk of our bid to be paid now, meaning talks are continuing over a potential move to St James' Park.

We can also confirm that the 20-year-old has suffered a 'slight tear' in his calf, which is expected to keep the forward out of action for the next three weeks.

This, along with fears Callum Wilson could be missing for the coming weeks, may explain why Newcastle pulled the trigger on a club record move for Alexander Isak over the past few days, however it seems a move for Joao Pedro is still being pursued.

One club who have NOT shown interest is Everton, with a source at Watford rubbishing claims that the Toffees are plotting a rival bid that matches our latest offer for the former Fluminense talent.

How negotiations play out from this point onwards remains to be seen, especially now the player is set for a spell on the sidelines, but it seems our insistence on staggered payments has stopped Watford accepting our £25m as of Wednesday night.