Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas’ interest in Pepe could start a war with Real Madrid
Recent reports reveal that Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has identified Real Madrid central defender Pepe as his possible first signing at the English Premier League outfit. The 28-year-old Portugal international is contracted to the La Liga giants until
the end of the 2015 season but could be heading towards an exit since he is currently amongst the lowest paid players at the club.
The Blues were initially linked with Gary Cahill, the 25-year-old Bolton Wanderers defender, but have now started looking elsewhere, with Villas-Boas keeping his options open. The England international was linked with a host of other Premier League sides;
Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.
However, according to Bolton Wanderers, none of the clubs have made an official offer for the player as yet. This could mean that Chelsea’s interest in Cahill was short-lived and Villas-Boas is not keen to bring in an English player, choosing instead to
rely on his own countryman.
While Pepe is not exactly the type of player Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich would necessarily approve of, it has been claimed that the Russian billionaire does not have a say in this summer’s transfers. Apparently, Villas-Boas has been given the freedom
to bring in whoever he thinks would help the squad win trophies at the end of the season.
A source close to the club revealed:
“The final decision on the squad will be down to Andre.
He believes he can’t make any real decisions until he has met the players, looked into their eyes and discovered for himself what they are made of and whether they want to buy into what he will be doing.
But if he feels they are not right for him, he can try to move them on.”
Despite the freedom to make the signings of his choice, Villas-Boas has been very quite in the transfer window so far. Since his appointment as the Chelsea manager, the Blues have been linked with a host of players but Villas-Boas himself has not confirmed
any speculation. The link with Pepe comes as a surprise, since the Blues were previously not in the market for another defender.
Villas-Boas will be aware, more than anyone, that signing a player right from under Jose Mourinho’s nose means war. Signing a Real Madrid player will give Mourinho the go to sign to make bids for the various Chelsea players he’s been eyeing since he parted
ways with the Blues in 2007, starting off with some of the important players.
Mourinho was previously said to be interested in left-back Ashley Cole, the 30-year-old England international has gone on to establish himself as one of the best left-backs in the English Premier League. He was also reportedly looking for a move to Spain,
for personal reasons, something Mourinho could arrange.
Another player Mourinho could use at the Santiago Bernabeu is midfielder Michael Essien. While the 28-year-old Ghanaian has not been in the best of forms for the Blues over the last few seasons, it won’t take long for him to return to top form. With the
arrival of Villas-Boas, Essien was also reportedly keen on a move away, though his country of choice was Italy.
Pepe transferred to Real Madrid in the 2007-2008 season for a fee of €30 million and has made 112 appearances since then in all competitions. While he seems like the more attractive option, he would cost Chelsea an estimated £22 million, noticeably more
than the £17 million worth Gary Cahill.