Arsenal are reportedly ramping up their interest in £60million-rated Leeds United star Raphinha as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his options on the right-wing.
That particular position has been Bukayo Saka's for arguably too much of last season, with the young England star looking notably fatigued as the campaign drew to a close. Given the mid-season World Cup and the fact Saka has already barely started his rest period due to UEFA Nations League commitments, Arteta feels it is important he has someone else to take the load off his academy graduate.
In reality, the Gunners boss does have someone to share the burden and game-time with Saka - the club's £72m record-signing Nicolas Pepe. Yet, despite the eyewatering fee paid for the Ivorian, he spent the bulk of last season watching on from the substitutes' bench.
Of the 20 appearances he made for the club last season, he completed 90 minutes on just five occasions. There were a number of times when Arsenal desperately needed a goal and Arteta would appear to look for anyone but Pepe to bring on in search of a moment of magic.
Few could have foreseen just how badly this move would have gone for both parties when Arteta's predecessor Unai Emery sanctioned the switch back in the summer of 2019. Purchased from Lille, it felt as if every major club in Europe was keen on securing his signature.
It was Arsenal who struck gold, nailing down the long-term future of a wide-player who had scored 22 goals and registered 11 assists in his final season of French football. It was only after Emery was dismissed from his post did the truth seemingly come out.
The Spaniard was rumoured to be never that keen on Pepe at all and actually favoured Crystal Palace talisman Wilfried Zaha. However, pressure from those above him in the hierarchy meant it was Pepe who was to be pursued and eventually bought.
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Three years on, the 27-year-old is changing his team of representatives which have directly fuelled further speculation an exit from the Emirates is nearing.
Arsenal are already putting the plans in place to spend big on Pepe's successor. It has been made abundantly clear from near enough the start of Arteta's reign that the winger is not the kind of player the Gunners boss was after.
The Gunners have quite the Brazilian core building over in North London with the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli and newest recruit from Sao Paulo Marquinhos.
Adding a Premier League proven wide-man to the mix to take some of the pressure off Saka is clearly something the Gunners are interested in, while Pepe seems more than willing to end his Arsenal nightmare as soon as possible.
