Arsenal and Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing 26-year-old Brazilian attacker Pepe from Portuguese club Porto.
A report from Globo Esporte claims that Arsenal and Chelsea are well-placed to sign 26-year-old Brazilian winger Pepe at the end of the season. And they might need to pay his release clause in order to secure his services.
The winger has a €75 million release clause in his contract. But it remains to be seen whether Porto are prepared to negotiate a more reasonable price. Pepe has been an important first-team player for Porto this season, managing five goals and eight assists across all competitions.
Both Premier League clubs could use more quality in the side, and Pepe has emerged as a viable target. However the 26-year-old is likely to struggle for regular game time at both Arsenal and Chelsea.
Arsenal are unlikely to give him opportunities ahead of Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka at the Emirates. It will be interesting to see if the Brazilian is willing to accept the role of a squad player and join the Gunners in the coming months.
Arsenal are currently well-placed to win the league title this year, with Saka and Martinelli being crucial to their performances. Pepe would be a useful squad player whose arrival will allow Mikel Arteta to rotate his attackers more often.
As far as Chelsea are concerned, they have spent significant sums of money on players like Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke recently. The Blues might not be able to provide Pepe with regular game time either.
The Brazilian is at the peak of his career right now and will not want to sit on the bench at the top club. He needs to play regularly, and Arsenal and Chelsea will have to offer him game-time assurances before they can convince him to move to the Premier League.
As for the reported asking price, Porto will have to agree to a compromise if they want to sell the Brazilian at the end of this season. Pepe is largely unproven at the highest level. And it is highly unlikely that any of his suitors will agree to pay €75 million for him.
Apparently, clubs from France and Spain are interested in signing the winger as well. And it remains to be seen whether they can offer him the platform to showcase his qualities regularly. The player’s representatives have already received an offer of around €50 million.
