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Wantaway Arsenal attacker Nicolas Pepe reportedly wants to join Turkish side Trabzonspor after Saudi Pro League sides failed to convince him.
Pepe, 28, has had a torrid spell at the Emirates since arriving from LOSC Lille on a then club-record £72 million deal in the summer of 2019. The Cote d'Ivoire man has played only 112 times across competitions since then, bagging 27 goals and 21 assists.
Most of those appearances (93) have come under current Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, with the player scoring 23 times and providing 16 assists. However, Pepe hasn't played for the club since the 5-1 home win over Everton on the last day of the 2021-22 season.
He was loaned to OGC Nice last season but failed to convince - eight goals and an assist in 28 games across competitions. With Pepe having no future at the Emirates, GOAL (via L'Equipe) has reported that the Gunners are planning to terminate his contract - which expires in 2024 - allowing Pepe to join his next club as a free agent.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has reported that Pepe is prioritising a move to Trabzonspor, as no deal with any SPL side is forthcoming. The Gunners are expected to approve the move. Romano tweeted:
"Nicolas Pepe, not convinced by Saudi approaches — deal not happening, his priority is now to join Trabzonspor. Negotiations to follow in order to reach an agreement, as footmercato called; he’s completely out of Arsenal project. Arsenal prepared to give the green light."
After returning from his loan spell at Nice, Pepe had limited involvement in pre-season and hasn't made a competitive appearance for the Gunners this season.
The Turkish transfer window closes on September 15, as per Transfermarkt, so there's time for Mikel Arteta and Co. to approve Pepe's move.
Arsenal pair nominated for 2023 Ballon d'Or
The Arsenal pair of attacker Bukayo Saka and captain Martin Odegaard have been nominated for the 2023 Ballon d'Or award.
As per the 30-man shortlist released by France Football on Wednesday, apart from the Gunners duo, 11 other Premier League players - mostly from treble-winning Manchester City - have been nominated for the prestigious accolade.
Both Saka and Odegaard enjoyed stellar 2022-23 campaigns as the Gunners narrowly failed to win the Premier League. Saka bagged 15 goals and 11 assists and won the 2022-23 PFA Young Player of the Year award. He also scored thrice in England's run to the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals (lost 2-1 to France).
Meanwhile, Odegaard scored 15 times in the Premier League and provided seven assists as the Gunners finished only behind champions Manchester City after leading the standings for 248 days.
