Arsenal have been given a golden chance to offload Nicolas Pepe with Everton, Leicester, West Ham United and Sevilla all interested in signing him up, as per journalist Ekrem Konur.
Apart from these clubs, Leeds United have also been linked with the winger as they are out in the market looking for a replacement for Raphinha who’s just joined Barcelona.
The Gunners paid a club-record fee of £72m for the winger but it’s safe to say that the winger has turned out to be one of the major flops in Premier League history.
🚨 EXCL• Sevilla, West Ham, Everton and Leicester City are monitoring the condition of Arsenal's 27-year-old winger Nicolas Pepe. 🇨🇮 🔴 #AFC
#SevillaFC #WHUFC #EFC #LCFC pic.twitter.com/hIQlciIg1k— Ekrem KONUR (@Ekremkonur) July 16, 2022
He’s been with the Gunners since the summer of 2019 but to date, he’s played only 112 games for the club. Last season, he barely got a sniff in the first team as he managed just five league appearances.
He’s been of no use to Mikel Arteta and as per multiple reports, the manager is now willing to cash in on him in a bid to reduce the club’s wage bills. Before the arrival of Gabriel Jesus, Nicolas Pepe was the second-highest earner at the club, getting a salary of £140,000 per week.
Will Nicolas Pepe leave Arsenal and join a new club this summer?
Nicolas Pepe is currently with the Arsenal first-team for their pre-season tour but with so many clubs interested in signing him, there’s a massive chance that Arsenal will cash in on him in the coming days.
Bukayo Saka has done a wonderful job playing on the right wing and someone like Gabriel Jesus or Martinelli can very easily play in that role as a backup so there’s no need to hold onto Nicolas Pepe.
However, his current market value is only £22.5 million and as per the rumours, the interested clubs are not going to pay anything more than £30 million for him. This means Arsenal will have to inflict a massive loss if they wish to sell Nicolas Pepe right now.
His current deal with the club expires in 2024 so there’s also an option of making him sign a new deal and then try to find a better offer but if he’s not getting any chances to play then offering him a new contract is completely useless.
Which club is more likely to Nicolas Pepe?
Ideally, if he wants to have wages similar to what he’s getting at Arsenal then he will need to remain in the Premier League but the English top division has not been kind to him at all.
He was a prolific goal-scorer in the Ligue 1 but his career has taken a nose dive ever since he moved to the PL so there’s a possibility he might look to head out in order to recoup his form and career.
Sevilla have reportedly made contact with Arsenal over a possible move and if they can agree on a fee then clubs like Everton and West Ham United are likely to miss out.
Most of the players will give up almost anything to play in the Premier League but for Nicolas Pepe, it will be best if he chooses to move out of England as soon as possible.
