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Real Madrid defender Pepe has signed a contract extension which will keep him with at the Santiago Bernabeu until 2017.
The Portuguese international, who has spent eight seasons with the La Liga outfit, had one year left before his current deal expired. But the defender reached an agreement over a two-year deal and has committed his future to the club.
The Brazil-born centre-back met with Madrid president Florentino Perez at the Bernabeu on Friday morning and finalised the deal with agent Jorge Mendes at his side.
A statement from the club’s official website read, "Real Madrid and Pepe have agreed the extension of the player's contract, to remain at the club until 30 June 2017."
Pepe has been an instrumental figure for Los Blancos’s back line since he arrived in Spain from FC Porto back in 2007. The 32-year-old was brought in from Portugal for a fee of €30 million after he signed a five-year contract with the capital club. In his eight seasons with Real, the centre-back has featured in 195 games overall and has scored 10 goals.
In the 2014/15 season, Pepe played a total of 27 games and continued to put on important performances for the White army as he continues to be a crucial figure for his side. Although he had to miss a few games due to minor injuries, his partnership with Ramos still projects Madrid’s strongest defensive line.
In his career at the Santiago Bernabeu, Pepe has won two La Liga titles and Copa Del Rey titles respectively, and has also achieved a Champions League medal as a part of the La Decima winning side in 2014.
Real Madrid start La Liga campaign against Sporting Gijon
Speaking of Ramos, the Spaniard himself was the talk of this summer transfer window after heavy speculations of him leaving the 32-time La Liga champions for Manchester United grew in stature.
The 28-year-old was strongly linked with the Premier League outfit and it was believed that he was very close to signing for them. However, earlier this week, Ramos put an end to all the rumours regarding his future after he agreed to a new deal with the Bernabeu outfit which binds him with the Blancos until June 2020.
Real Madrid play Sunday's La Liga opener away against Sporting Gijon as new manager Rafa Benitez takes charge of the Galacticos. Pepe returned to full training this week after missing the two preseason games and is expected to start against Gijon.
