Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa claims that the Stamford Bridge side spoke about a possible transfer to the 25-year-old Uruguayan in August without the permission of the Portuguese side.The 25-year-old, who can play as a midfielder or defender on the left-flank, was heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge during the summer transfer window and was reportedly subject to a failed bid towards the end of August.
Now, the chief has vilified the London outfit’s pursuit of the player by accusing them of holding talks without his club’s permission.
“I had a conversation with Alvaro and he admitted he had been invited by Chelsea, which means they spoke with him without Porto’s authorisation,” the Portuguese told news outlet Porto Canal.
He claims that their approach goes against Fifa’s and Uefa’s regulations, but he did not say whether they would report the case to the global governing body.
The full-back had most likely attracted attention from the Blues as Porto’s former manager, Andre Villas-Boas, now coaches at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have been in trouble for approaching players illegally before, and the club were fined £300,000 for “tapping-up” England international Ashley Cole when he played for Arsenal.
Pereira joined Porto from Romanian side CFR Cluj in 2009 for around £4.2 million. He has secured 33 caps for the Uruguay national side and was a prominent figure in their Copa America triumph this summer.
