Pepe is set to shun a move to Hebei China Fortune with a move to either Paris Saint-Germain or Manchester City more likely, say reports in Spain.
Both Marca and AS reported on Tuesday the Portuguese central defender had decided against a Far East move to link up with former Madrid boss Manuel Pellegrini, despite previous reports suggesting a deal had already been concluded with the Chinese Super League outfit.
The reports state that whilst neither City nor the Parisians will attempt to compete with the €12m salary offered to him by Hebei, but the appeal of remaining in Europe and playing in the Champions League is regarded by the 34-year-old as holding greater importance.
Pepe still has ambitions of playing for his country in the 2018 World Cup and any move to China would likely rule him out of selection, while both PSG and City are willing to offer him a two-year deal which Madrid are not.
AS state he will play ‘in either Paris or Manchester’ next season while Marca agree ‘his final few months in Madrid will be spent with negotiations between two other clubs’.
