Tottenham Hotspur have now been provided with a new update on their pursuit of FC Porto winger Pepe, who they have already submitted a bid for this summer.
Who are Tottenham signing this summer?
By now, Tottenham fans will be well aware that Nottingham Forest's Brennan Johnson has shot right up to the top of their shortlist, with journalist Alasdair Gold reporting that the winger is Ange Postecoglou's "number one attacking target."
Postecoglou believes Johnson is the "perfect fit for his Spurs system", but Gold makes it clear that it will be a tough deal to orchestrate, and if it does happen, it will be late in the window, with Forest keen to hold out for a fee of around £50m.
However, the manager does have some alternatives in mind, including Jota, who he worked with during his time at Celtic, although the Portuguese winger is not thought to be as high on the wanted list as the Nottingham Forest star.
Last week, the Lilywhites submitted a bid in excess of €45m (£38.6m), including an additional €15m (£12.9m) in goal bonuses for Pepe, but faced rejection from Porto, who are demanding a fee of €70m (£60m) if they are to sanction his departure.
Despite having their opening bid rejected, reports from Spain indicate Tottenham remain keen on signing the winger before the summer transfer window closes, with the board well aware that he could go some way to replacing Harry Kane's goal-scoring contributions (via Caught Offside).
Bizarrely, the report claims the FC Porto star has a market value of just €30m (£26m), far less than the bid Spurs initially made, which does not seem very likely, considering he has a release clause of €75m (£64m) included in his contract.
As previously mentioned, the Portuguese club are hoping to receive a fee of £60m, so you'd think there is no chance they let the Brazilian leave for less than half that amount, but it remains to be seen whether the Lilywhites come back with a higher offer.
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How good is Pepe?
The 26-year-old has been a key player for Porto over the past two seasons, since arriving at the club from Gremio, and he has made year-on-year improvement, after picking up four goals and four assists in his first campaign.
Last season, the versatile winger amassed 11 goal contributions in the Liga Portugal, with journalist Fernando Campos claiming he's been "getting better and more important in Sergio Conceicao's team."
It is very impressive that the former Gremio man has regularly managed to weigh in with attacking contributions with his new club, but his main strength is his dribbling ability, ranking in the 99th percentile for successful take-ons per 90 in the past year.
When compared to his positional peers, the attacker also places in the 98th percentile for progressive carries per 90, and his attacking threat is also highlighted by the fact he is in the 94th percentile for touches in the opposition area.
Pepe could be a fantastic signing for Tottenham, but he will not come cheap, considering Porto are set to hold out for a fee of £60m.