Arsenal aim for £9.3m Nicolas Pepe boost in hope of January transfer window reinforcement
Nicolas Pepe remains, for now, an Arsenal player. He has failed to secure a move to any of Europe’s top six leagues after spending last season on loan with Nice in Ligue 1, with injury sadly affecting his ability to put himself in the shop window.
This was repeated in the summer and he stayed home while Mikel Arteta and his team toured the United States. With options dwindling, it appears that there may finally be a resolution to the Ivorian international’s predicament, bringing an end to a four-year project that kicked off with a £72million investment.
The rise of Bukayo Saka under Mikel Arteta and the Spaniard’s philosophy ultimately made Pepe obsolete in his system. Yet the Gunners had committed to a long-term contractm with Spotrac detailing a rise in his wages to £140,000 per week in 2021 from £100,000 per week.
This equates to a yearly outlay in the region of £7.3million. Arsenal are reportedly looking for a fee in the region of £2million to sell Pepe, according to the Secret Scout, with clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia still able to negotiate a potential move for the 28-year-old.
There’s been something of a reluctance to commit to a club throughout the summer, it appears, in the hope better opportunities would arise. However, with those options now out the window with so many top leagues unable to sign players, it seems an agreement will be reached soon.
Add together the saved wages and prospective transfer fee and that’s a benefit of £9.3million with Pepe out the door. Importantly, too, it is a space in the squad saved which, if Cedric Soares also moves on, sees the number of players in the squad suddenly drop to 24.
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