Nicolas Pepe transfer latest: Wages claim, Saudi proposal, Medical booked, Arsenal fee

Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe is running out of time to complete a transfer to Saudi Arabia.

The former Lille star has less than 12 months on his current contract in north London and he is not part of Mikel Arteta's plans for the 2023/24 campaign. Pepe, who spent last season on loan with Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice, was left out of the pre-season squad for the Gunners' tour of America.

The Ivory Coast international has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia but their transfer window is set to close on September 7. So, football.london has rounded up everything we know on the 28-year-old's future below.

Wages claim

CBS journalist James Benge has claimed that Pepe has been asking for an unrealistic salary from interested Saudi clubs, asking for a significant pay rise from what he currently makes at the Emirates Stadium.

Speaking about Pepe on Charles Watts' YouTube channel, Benge said: «I can see a world where Arteta plays Cedric (Soares), I can list you about six players in the academy that Arteta would pick before Pepe. From what I heard, the salary he asked for in July, or his representatives asked for, was way out of line with anything he could get from a Saudi Arabian club.

»It would have been a significant pay rise from what he was on at Arsenal. They would counter that his career has gone in a direction, since joining Arsenal, that means he is maybe not the player that Arsenal paid £72 million and gave the best part of £200k-a-week to."

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Saudi move

According to transfer insider the Secret Scout, Arsenal have received a proposal from Saudi Arabian side Al Shabab for Pepe.

Writing on X (Formerly Twitter), he said: «Excl — Understand Pepe