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According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, Arsenal are set to propose a swap deal involving Nicolas Pepe for Juventus' Dejan Kulusevski.
Juventus are reportedly looking to offload Kulusevski and Arsenal have come out as frontrunners to sign the Sweden international. Nicolas Pepe, who has been out of favor at Arsenal, has been proposed for a swap deal by the Gunners.
However, according to the same report, Juventus are only looking for a cash deal for Kulusevski.
The 21-year-old winger made a total of 47 appearances for the Old Lady in the 2020-21 season. Kulusevski scored seven goals and assisted seven in the process. This season he has made 15 appearances, scoring one and assisting one.
Incidentally, Kulusevski is also an Arsenal fan. In October 2019, on a Swedish podcast, he talked about his love for Arsenal and said:
"My favourite team is Arsenal because I like everything about the club, the city, the players and the way they play football."
Nicolas Pepe's run at Arsenal could be coming to an end
Nicolas Pepe joined Arsenal in 2019 from Lille for a record fee of €79 million. Since then, he has made 98 appearances for the Gunners. Pepe has scored 25 goals and assisted 18 across all competitions.
He has failed to have the match-winning impact that Arsenal would have hoped for while paying an exorbitant fee. In the current season, Pepe has made just nine appearances, most of them coming from the bench.
The winger position has been expertly occupied by Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka this season for Arsenal. This has seen Pepe's game time decrease further. The Ivorian will also have to leave the North Londoners in January to play for the African Cup of Nations.
With Arsenal strongly linked to the likes of Dejan Kulusevski, it seems likely that Pepe's stint with the Gunners might be over soon.
