Nicolas Pepe faces an increasingly uncertain future at Arsenal, with the Gunners reportedly set to permit the winger's departure this summer. The 27-year-old has been heavily linked with an exit from the Emirates Stadium recently after having fallen out of favour under Mikel Arteta.
Pepe featured 20 times for the Gunners in the Premier League last season, directly contributing towards three goals amid diminutive first-team opportunities. And, as a result, in December, football.london understood that the Ivorian international was frustrated with his situation at Arsenal and wanted to assess his options in January if his game time didn't improve.
But, a departure from north London failed to materialise. With all parties seemingly in agreement regarding his future, the Gunners are now openly seeking potential suitors for Pepe, according to the Press Association. The winger, who swapped the Stade Pierre-Mauroy for the Emirates Stadium in 2019 for a record-breaking £72million fee, is most likely to be dealt a loan move, given his value and wages.
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Arsenal's decision to reportedly offload Pepe falls in line with Edu's pursuit for Leeds United talisman Raphinha. With the Brazil international said to have a £75million release clause, the Gunners are reportedly obliged to sanction several departures in order to garner a war chest.
One of whom is Pepe, according to the Mirror. The report claims that the north London outfit will not throw their hat in the ring to sign Raphinha until the £26million-rated winger is moved on.
However, unfortunately for Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona seem to lead the race for Raphinha's signature. Though, the principle of Edu streamlining the club's wage bill still stands, with Arteta eager to revamp his side.
football.london understands that the Ivorian changed agents this summer in order to ensure that he engineers an exit route out of the club. And, speaking recently of his difficulties at Arsenal, Pepe highlighted the problems he's faced.
"I am focused on how well we do until the end of the season and the club’s target, which is getting into the Champions League. Then we will see what happens," he said, to the end of last season.
"Mikel Arteta has explained that to me and the coach knows what I think and how hard I’m working. It is also about communication. Sometimes it’s not easy to communicate with the language barrier. It has been a tough season for me. Of course, it is frustrating not to play. No player enjoys not playing but I have to respect the coach’s decision and the team is doing well at the moment."
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