Watford’s Joao Pedro documented his recent visit to Milan in a series of Instagram posts. Among them was a selfie outside the Terrazza Aperol bar near the Piazza del Duomo and him posing for a photo on an electric scooter with his grandmother.

The visit to Italy’s fashion capital drew scrutiny because it came less than a week after he was linked with a move to AC Milan in the Italian media. So was it just a coincidence that he chose to visit there or were the two things linked?

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The Athletic has been told by the Brazilian’s representatives that the visit had nothing to do with any negotiation and that he was off duty and simply decided to visit the city. The message: nothing to see here — for the time being at least.

Those helping guide the 21-year-old’s next steps say that a player of his talents always arouses interest from big clubs. They say there has been no proposal made for Joao Pedro, who has scored 22 goals in 103 appearances for Watford.

The link with Milan doesn’t end there, though. The Athletic has been told that the club are admirers of Joao Pedro but the length of his contract — running until 2028 — is a stumbling block for any move this summer.

Despite their relegation to the Championship, Watford extended Joao Pedro’s contract by a further year last summer after Newcastle United had a bid of £30million ($36.7million) for the Brazilian turned down. The renewal, which included an improved financial package, is likely to have pushed any potential fee for Joao Pedro beyond Milan’s means — Watford will demand far more than £30million this summer.

“I can say that he has an ‘England’ price, we haven’t received any requests or proposals from Italy,” Watford’s sporting director Cristiano Giaretta told Tuttomercatoweb this week.

“He has many admirers in the Premier League but the truth, and we are happy about it, is that he is 110 per cent focused on our run-up to the play-offs.”

What happens to Milan’s attacking ranks could move the dial. The signing of Charles De Ketelaere from Club Bruges for £27million ($33.2million) has not gone to plan and that may discourage the club’s owners from trying to rectify that with further spending. The unknown element is what happens to forward Rafael Leao this summer.

If the Portuguese moves on — having previously attracted the interest of Chelsea — he would command a fee in the region of £90million ($109million) and if that money was to be reinvested, then the pursuit of Joao Pedro as his replacement could be possible. If trends from the January transfer window — described as a nuclear winter — continue, big spending from Serie A clubs may be limited. Udinese’s signing of Matheus Martins from Fluminense (who was subsequently loaned to Watford) for £6.2million ($7.6million) was the most expensive signing of a total spend of just £28million ($34million).

Sporting reasons will also contribute to Milan’s decision-making. A top-four finish guarantees Champions League football, and although they currently hold fourth position they do have Roma and Atalanta within a few points of them, not to mention Juventus in the false position of seventh after their points deduction.

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Joao Pedro remains on Newcastle’s list of potential targets and they continue to track his progress. At this stage, there is no indication as to whether he would be a priority target.

Much will depend on how Watford, and potential suitors for Joao Pedro, finish the season. If Watford make an unlikely return to the Premier League via the play-offs — they are five points off the top six — owner Gino Pozzo’s resolve would be strengthened in trying to keep him at the club for at least another season. Failure to win promotion would increase interest and the need for Watford to sell to balance the books in what would be the last season with the protection of parachute payments.

(Photo: Getty Images)