Club reject £51m Tottenham bid for 26-year-old Brazilian Arsenal have also asked about this summer

Tottenham Hotspur have seen a bid worth up to £51.3 million for Pepe rejected, with Porto demanding that any club wishing to sign the winger this summer needs to trigger his £64.1 million release clause.

That is according to a report from Portuguese outlet A Bola, which notes that Arsenal have been told the same thing by Porto after registering their own interest in the 26-year-old.

Unsurprisingly, Porto are desperate to hold onto Pepe this summer. The club have already sold Otavio to the Saudi Pro League. And Sérgio Conceição views the 26-year-old as indispensable.

However, that has not stopped Tottenham making a move to try and lure him to the Premier League. According to A Bola, Spurs have made a bid worth an initial £38.5 million for the Brazilian. And the fee would have had the potential to reach €60 million in add-ons.

Tottenham see Pepe bid rejected by Porto

But Porto have turned down the offer and informed Tottenham that he will only be available if a club meets his €75 million release clause.

A Bola adds that Arsenal have also shown interest in signing Pepe in this window. But they received the same message from his club. And it seems that they are in no mood to negotiate.

The Premier League has seen a fair few players arrive from Portugal in the last few windows. Teams are seemingly trusting more and more that players will be able to carry their form from Primeira Liga over to the English game.

 

Pepe provided 10 assists in all competitions last season, while also scoring five goals. He also played across the pitch, including at right-back. So he would offer huge versatility to Ange Postecoglou.

It is not entirely clear from the report whether Tottenham could return with a fresh bid. But it is suggested that Pepe is expected to hang around for a little while yet.

So it would seem that Spurs may have now switched their attention elsewhere.