Arsenal have reportedly set their sights on Christopher Nkunku as Nicolas Pepe's future remains unclear.
Mikel Arteta is looking to bolster his attacking options in the upcoming window with another summer of wholesale changes at the club on the horizon.
Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are set to leave north London when their contracts expire and Pepe could follow the pair out the exit door at the Emirates.
The Ivorian has shown flashes of his potential following his £72million move from Lille in 2019, but he's taken a step backward this season as he remains on the fringes of the first team.
Pepe was linked with an exit in January as Marseille and Lyon were both keen on securing a move for the forward, according to French outlet L’Equipe via GFFN.
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football.london claimed in December that Pepe was going to assess his options in the winter window just gone by, should his situation at Arsenal continue to deteriorate with Arteta reportedly willing to cut his losses with the forward.
It appears Pepe wasn't interested in a return to France as the deadline passed without anything materialising, but with no sign of him getting into Arsenal's side any time soon, speculation surrounding his future has lingered.
Pepe will have two years left on his current deal in the upcoming window which would be the perfect time to cash in on the winger to avoid the possibility of him entering the final 12 months of his contract in 2023.
And it appears Arsenal are already lining up a potential replacement in RB Leipzig star Nkunku.
The Gunners have held an interest in the French winger since 2019 when they tried to sign him on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
Nkunku has taken his game to the next level in the Bundesliga since leaving France, however, and has several top European clubs chasing his signature, including the Gunners.
Manchester United are one of the teams in the hunt as Ralf Rangnick looks to reunite with the forward following their spell together at Leipzig.
Arsenal will need to fend off their Premier League rivals to orchestrate a deal, but first and foremost, they'll need Pepe off the books.
Arteta understands that the 26-year-old needs regular game time, but it's not something he can offer him currently with Bukayo Saka playing ahead of him in his preferred position.
He said: "With the amount of games we’re having there’s not enough room. With Nico’s situation it’s something similar.
"He needs more opportunities to show what he can do and in the last games he hasn’t had them. I understand but again I have to try to make the decision based on what I see every day.
"Nico is really willing to help the team. The reality is that in the position that he’s playing, Bukayo is there and he has been fantastic."
