Juventus refuse to sign Real Madrid defender for free

06 mar 2017

Real Madrid defender Pepe will leave the Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the season as the Portuguese defender has not reached agreement with the LaLiga giants over a new deal. Pepe demanded a new two-year contract but Real Madrid were only open to offer a year contract extension; therefore the two parties are set to part companies at the end of the current campaign.

A number of European clubs had been linked with welcoming the player’s services for free, included Juventus and Manchester United, but reports in Spain claim that the Serie A giants have headed off Pepe entourage’s approaches.

El Pais (via ilbianconero) reports that Juventus have rejected to sign Pepe as they prefer to focus on young players. The Old Lady, in fact, have completed the signing of Mattia Caldara from Atalanta. The 22-year-old centre-back will only join Juventus in 2018, meantime Daniele Rugani, 22, can thrive at the J Stadium, learning the job from Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and Andre Barzagli.