After nine years in the Spanish capital, Real Madrid centre back Pepe looks set to leave the club this summer
The 34 year-old has made just 12 LaLiga appearances this season, his normal significance on the team declining.
His contract expired at the end of the 2016/17 campaign, and despite a willingness to sign a new two-year deal, the club have decided to let him go.
The Real Madrid hierarchy were unwilling to offer more than a 12-month deal, following a meeting between Los Blancos CEO Jose Angel Sanchez and Pepe’s agent Jorge Mendes, an offer that was deemed as insufficient.
In a second meeting between the two, Real extended their offer to include the option of an additional year.
That is standard for players who reach a certain age, however Pepe is reported to have taken the offer as a poor reflection of his ten seasons at the club.
The divorce was essentially confirmed in December 2016 when it looked certain that the Portuguese international would leave for China, however the reported offers of 12 million euros for three seasons never materialised.
After failing to secure a move in January, Pepe remained with the club, but injuries disrupted his role in the first team.
He returned to first team training in the spring, but was used as cover by Zinedine Zidane, amid reports that certain players were not happy with the defender’s level of effort.
An injury in the LaLiga derby against Atleti was to be his last appearance in a Real Madrid shirt, with Zidane omitting him from the Champions League final squad.
He did receive a Champions League winners medal on Sunday, his third as a Real player, but the message was clear even before the final that his time at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu was up.
Pepe now looks set to sign a deal with PSG, with his agent meeting with the French club in Cardiff.
An announcement is expected shortly.
