Former Real Madrid defender Pepe has returned home to Portugal to sign for Porto after his contract with Turkish giants Besiktas was mutually terminated.
The Portuguese national team star has signed a two-year contract with the club after agreeing his release from his current deal in Turkey.
Is Pepe’s arrival good news for Man Utd? Five key things you should know…
- Pepe joins the Primeira Liga champions after cancelling his Besiktas deal.
- The former Real Madrid centre-back joins on a two-year deal.
- Porto’s Eder Militao has recently been linked to Man Utd and Liverpool.
- The £42m-rated Brazilian can play at centre-back and right-back.
- Man Utd fans have speculated Pepe’s arrival may now allow the 20-year-old to leave.
Many fans of Manchester United have taken this transfer as a positive sign that reports linking them to Porto’s Eder Militao could well be true. However, they are thought to be in a head-to-head race to sign the Brazilian with Everton, Liverpool and Real Madrid.
Pepe’s arrival at Porto could be seen as the Portuguese champions putting in place a contingency plan as cover in case they receive a bid that would trigger Eder Militao’s transfer release clause, thought to be around £40m.
Manchester United are known to be in the market for a defender and their inability to sign one in the summer was thought to be one of the reasons behind Jose Mourinho’s rather sour demeanour at the start of the Premier League season.
DONE DEAL: Pepe has joined @FCPorto on a free transfer after mutually terminating his contract with Besiktas, signing a two-year contract with the club. pic.twitter.com/UPr3CKNaLN
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) January 8, 2019
Pepe is a vastly experienced defender who featured for Portugal at the World Cup in Russia this summer. Football Espana reported the Euro 2016 winner also attracted offers from elsewhere, including the English Premier League, but it is thought that he was keen to return to Porto where he had previously enjoyed great success.
The club are currently on an 18-game winning streak and if they can extend it by just one more came will set a new Portuguese record. They currently sit top of the table, six points ahead of second placed Braga.
Pepe will add much experience to the Porto defence as they look to secure consecutive titles for the first time since 2013.
Why did Pepe chose Porto?
Pepe previously enjoyed a successful spell with Porto between 2004 and 2007 winning two league titles. His time at the club kicked started his career and it is likely to be one of the main factors in his return.
He originally left Porto for Spanish giants Real Madrid where he won two La Liga crowns and three Champions League titles.
He joined Besiktas in 2017 and played 52 times for them before cancelling his deal six months early to re-join Porto on a two-year-deal.
The post Former Real Madrid defender Pepe rejoins Porto after terminating Besiktas contract appeared first on Squawka News.
From Squawka NewsSquawka News http://bit.ly/2TCNoPM
No comments:
Post a Comment