Arsenal’s record signing told he will never play for club again

Arsenal go into the international break unbeaten in their first four Premier League matches of the season. 

The Gunners produced a dramatic comeback victory over Manchester United on Sunday to maintain their unbeaten start, with both Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus scoring in injury time to earn Mikel Arteta’s side a 3-1 victory.

That result followed wins against Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace, as well as a 2-2 draw against London rivals Fulham.

Having come close to lifting the Premier League title last term, Arteta will be keen to once again challenge reigning champions Manchester City for the title this time around.

It appears, though, that the Spaniard has made a huge decision on the future of one of his fringe players.

As per The Sun, Nicolas Pepe has been told to find a new club as soon as possible, or face the prospect of spending the remainder of this season excluded from the Arsenal squad.

The report claims that the North London outfit have been trying to move the player on for the majority of the summer, but he has so far resisted all opportunities.

Pepe faces an extremely uncertain future

Pepe, 28, became Arsenal’s record signing when he joined the club from Lille in a £72 million deal back in 2019.

Initially the Ivory Coast international featured regularly for the Gunners, making 89 appearances across all competitions over the course of his first two seasons in England.

The winger fell out of favour during the 2021/22 campaign, though, and was sent on loan to French side Nice last summer.

During his season with Nice, Pepe scored eight goals and provided a single assist in 28 matches across all competitions, but he returned to the capital at the end of last season.

With the transfer window now shut across most of Europe, Pepe is running out of options when it comes to finding himself a new club.

The window in Turkey doesn’t shut until September 15, and Super Lig champions Besiktas remain interested in the winger despite him previously rejecting the proposed move, the report claims.

If he does stay put, Pepe will continue to earn £150,000-per-week until his contract expires next summer, totalling around £6.5 million.