There is one "final step" holding up Nicolas Pepe's potential exit from Arsenal this summer, if recent reports are to be believed. It comes as the transfer window is drawing to a close, with just over one week left to get all business concluded until it reopens in January 2023.
For the Gunners, all their signings so far have been made before the start of the season, with five new additions and over £100million spent. Since then, there has been more focus on moving certain players out of the club, be that on permanent deals or on loan for the campaign.
On the possibility of further movement before the end of the window, Arteta said after victory against Bournemouth: "We don’t like reacting obviously, we want to get the players that we believe will make a big impact in the team. If we can do that, we will try to do that. If we cannot, we will stay with the players we have."
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With the squad exodus seemingly the focus before any more arrivals, the fate of some squad players will impact the signing of others this window. One player who is likely to have a say over that is Pepe, who is yet to feature in the league this season and was left out of the squad against Bournemouth at the weekend.
It appears as though a move on loan to OGC Nice for the campaign is on the cards, though a final step is holding up the confirmation. According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the salary covered by the Ligue 1 club remains the last hurdle to getting a deal over the line.
With interest in Wolves winger Pedro Neto as a potential replacement for the club-record signing, the Gunners will need the move completed swiftly, otherwise they may be made to wait, leave it late or completely miss out on the transfer altogether.
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