We may have never seen big stories about Arsenal’s and Chelsea’s attempts to sign Pepê from Porto, but their interest is repeatedly reported.
This happens again today, as newspaper Record features a page-long story about the player’s importance in Porto’s squad, despite him being recently sent to the bench.
It’s said that the fact he’s lost his position in the team doesn’t mean Porto no longer want him there, and that’s where it’s mentioned that Arsenal and Chelsea are still interested in him.
Record writes that Dragons manager Sérgio Conceição wants to keep the ‘hard core’ of the team in the January window, just like the club board, even though Pepê is ‘very coveted’ by Gunners and Blues.
The winger, who’s now also used as a fullback, is currently protected by a release clause worth €75m, added in his new contract last year.
Under normal conditions, that would certainly be the price demanded by Porto for a sale.
However, with the player now not looking as important as he once was, perhaps Arsenal and Chelsea could use this situation as a chance to sign him for less.
