Roma confident of completing Pedro deal as talks heat up (Goal)

Pedro is set to depart Chelsea in the summer with Roma most likely to sign the winger on a free transfer, Goal can confirm.

Discussions between the 32-year-old and the Serie A side began in April with the dialogue getting close to a conclusion in the last 48 hours.

The Spain international's contract at Stamford Bridge will expire at the end of the season, forcing him to consider his future.

Serie A giants Juventus have also shown interest in Pedro, while La Liga trio Sevilla, Valencia and Real Betis have been in the race, according to the Spanish press.

Pedro has made 201 appearances and scored 43 goals for Chelsea since joining from Barcelona in 2015.

He also collected Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League winners' medals, to add to the three Champions League trophies and five La Liga championships he won at Camp Nou.

Injuries have restricted Pedro's current season with Chelsea to only 18 matches and two goals across all competitions.

With the Blues adding Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech to their squad in recent seasons, and the emergence of English talent Callum Hudson-Odoi, Pedro would likely be pushed down the pecking order under Frank Lampard if he stayed in London.

Pedro would join several Premier League players to make the move to Rome in recent seasons, including Chris Smalling, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Davide Zappacosta.

The former Blaugrana star has also been previously been linked with a move to MLS and former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley feels he could be a good addition for the North American competition.

"I think he's good enough to play at a reasonable level, wherever that may be. At the end of the day, Chelsea are looking for younger players," Burley told ESPN FC .

"They've got a number of players they can select in similar positions [to Pedro].

"So I don't think there's any doubt that he'll be one of the players who will be moving on.

"The other side of the coin is that he's had a pretty lucky career with injuries, especially recently unless my memory serves me wrong.

"He still looks very fit and nimble and fast, which is a big attribute of his.

"When you look at Pedro, you don't look at someone who has a bad attitude, you see someone who works hard and is a team player.

"When you put all those things together, he would be a very good signing for someone in Major League Soccer.

"Although he's turning 33, he's still got a lot to offer, and he's a very hard-working player."