Arsenal broke their TRANSFER RECORD for him and RETURNS to France
The Gunners thought they were making good business with him, but they can't wait to get rid of him
Arsenal broke their record transfer fee to get Nicolas Pepe in 2019. The then-23-year-old cost the Gunners a whooping £72 million, some 15 million more than their previous most expensive player, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang. With such numbers, there was a lot of expectation for what the Ivorian could do with the Gunners, but it's been nothing but disappointment so far.
Nicolas Pepe could not replicate his Ligue 1 form in England
Pepe came nowhere near his performances at LOSC Lille and even lost out his position to a 17-year-old Bukayo Saka. With just 16 goals in over 80 appearances in the Premier League, the "flop" tag was quickly put on him, and now aged 27 years old, the Ivory Coast international has to rebuild his career.
According to sources, Arsenal is now nearing a deal to move Nicolas Pepe to OGC Nice, with the winger close to signing a loan deal to join the French team. In an effort to secure the move for his client, the Ivorian's agent is said to have been seen at Nice's stadium over the weekend.
Mikel Arteta has been desperate to shift Pepe this summer, as his playing time will be limited in the coming season with the likes of Fabio Vieira and Gabriel Jesus joining, and he is on a hefty salary, rumoured to be around £7 million per season. Pepe will join forces with former Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey if he signs with Nice.
Pepe could be reinvigorated by a return to France
With Hector Bellerin said to be moving either to Barcelona or Real Betis in the near future, Nicolas Pepe might not be the only player leaving the Arsenal, with the Gunners clearing some of the least favoured members of their squad.
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