Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe has reportedly been offered to Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
According to a report from Foot Mercato, Arsenal could be on the verge of offloading Nicolas Pepe in the summer. The Premier League giants are desperate to get rid of the Ivory Coast international following his struggles at the Emirates. His agents have already started finding new suitors for Pepe, with Paris Saint-Germain being one of the potential destinations.
The Ligue 1 champions have indeed been offered the opportunity to sign Pepe in the coming summer. The club’s incoming sporting director Luis Campos knows the Arsenal forward well and is open to incorporating him as part of the new-look PSG setup to be led by Kylian Mbappe next season.
Pepe is well aware of the French top-flight, having racked up 37 goals and 18 assists during his successful time at Lille. Unfortunately, the Ivorian has never been able to replicate his success at Arsenal, often struggling to get to grips with English football.
In his ongoing three-year spell at the Emirates, Pepe has scored only 27 goals in 112 competitive matches. These are quite underwhelming numbers for a player who arrived at Arsenal for a club-record fee. And in light of his poor performances, the winger has predictably lost the faith of coach Mikel Arteta.
The 26-year-old has made only five starts in the Premier League throughout the recently concluded 2021/22 campaign. He had fallen behind the likes of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe in the pecking order, and with Arteta keen on reshaping his attacking unit, it won’t be surprising to see the Ivorian being offloaded by Arsenal in the summer.
Even Pepe himself is reportedly keen on leaving the Emirates in order to revive his career elsewhere. That is where PSG come into the fray, with the French champions willing to hand the out of favour Arsenal winger an opportunity to return to the French top flight.
The Parisian juggernaut are looking for a right-winger as it is, following the exit of Angel Di Maria, who was recently offered to FC Barcelona. Nicolas Pepe could prove to be a like for like replacement for the Argentine international, and given his previous numbers in Ligue 1, he could create a potent attacking partnership alongside Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi at PSG.
However, PSG’s pursuit of Pepe could hinge entirely on Ousmane Dembele. The Frenchman is currently the club’s top attacking target in the summer, and with the winger recently rejecting Barcelona’s renewal offer, a free transfer to Paris appears to be the likely scenario, in this transfer chase.
