FORMER Real Madrid star Pepe has urged Cristiano Ronaldo to join him at Turkish giants Besiktas.
Reports claim Ronaldo is looking to leave Los Blancos next summer after becoming unhappy in the Spanish capital.
Paris Saint-Germain’s world-record signing Neymar has been linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu, and it’s said that Ronaldo’s unhappy with the club’s lack of faith in his abilities.
The former Manchester United star wouldn’t be short of offers should he quit Real, with plenty of teams in need of a centre-forward with his goal-scoring record.
But Besiktas star Pepe is confident he can lure Ronaldo to Turkey for a Portuguese reunion next summer.
The pair played alongside each other for eight seasons at Real, and Besiktas are slowly putting together a star-studded team of their own which includes Gary Medel, Alvaro Negredo and Ryan Babel.
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Besiktas have won the Turkish Super Lig for the past two seasons and are also on the verge of finishing first in their Champions League group ahead of Porto, RB Leipzig and Monaco.
Pepe told CNN: “If I could choose, and if it were possible, of course I would like for Cristiano to come here. He is a person for whom I have maximum respect.
“When Besiktas came to me with their offer and their project, it grabbed my attention. Many people sending me messages on social media, to my wife as well and those around me.
“I couldn’t turn my back on all this affection. I spent a lot of time in Spain and Portugal but here it’s nothing like I’ve experienced before. Turkish people live football. It’s a passion of theirs. They demonstrate it with love and affection for their team.”
