Newcastle United are reportedly keen on a move for FC Porto winger Pepe in the January transfer window.
The Lowdown: Bid rejected
The St. James’ Park outfit reportedly had a €35m (£30.7m) bid rejected for Pepe by Porto back in June, as they demanded that his release clause of €70m (£61.4m) be met.
Now, it looks as if the Magpies could revisit the situation in January, with reports in Portugal that they are still keen on the Brazilian supporting claims from the UK media that summer targets will be revisited in 2023.
The Latest: Still keen
As per Correio da Manha (via Sport Witness), the North East club are still ‘keen’ on a move for Pepe in January, although a number of their fellow Premier League rivals also hold an interest in his signature.
The 25-year-old is keen to move to a Premier League club ‘from the top’ of the table, and while the Tynesiders may not be there yet, the fact that they are currently in sixth place at the moment should give him some encouragement.
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The Verdict: Gamble
It would certainly be a gamble for Eddie Howe’s side to potentially splash as much as £60m on Pepe in January.
The winger is doing well for Porto at the moment, with two goals and three assists in all competitions so far this season and making three appearances in the UEFA Champions League (no experience of playing in English football, and while that is not the be all and end all, it is still a risk to spend that much money on him.
At 25 years of age as well, Pepe would be expected to hit the ground running straight away, and that would not be guaranteed for the level of expenditure.