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Football London
Sport
Sam Hill

Arsenal face £50m loss as Nicolas Pepe finally nears transfer exit amid La Liga interest

Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe is attracting interest from across Europe with the Gunners set to suffer a huge loss on the Ivorian attacker.

Pepe signed for the Gunners in 2019 for a club record £72million fee but has struggled to perform to the same levels as he did for Lille. The emergence and performances of Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli have resulted in the Ivory Coast international falling down the pecking order at the Emirates.

Pepe has made just 80 Premier League appearances since signing three years ago, scoring 16 goals and providing a further nine assists. Reports in Spain suggest four clubs are interested in the 27-year-old this summer, but Pepe's wage demands and transfer fee could prove to be a potential stumbling block in any negotiations.

READ MORE: Arsenal in talks with Manchester City over Oleksandr Zinchenko amid failed Lisandro Martinez bid

According to Diario de Sevilla, Sevilla have contacted Arsenal regarding a potential deal to sign Pepe this summer. The 27-year-old is not a key player for Mikel Arteta's project moving forward and could move to the La Liga outfit, but it is not a simple deal to complete due to Pepe's wage demands and Arsenal's reluctance to suffer a huge loss on the £72million fee they paid to Lille three years ago.

Marseille, Lyon and Leeds are all interested in signing Pepe this summer, with the latter identifying the Ivorian forward as a potential replacement for the outgoing Raphinha. Arsenal were interested in the Brazilian but were snubbed by the 25-year-old in favour of a dream move to Barcelona.

Sevilla are willing to pay the Gunners £15million for Pepe, with the north Londoners hoping for around £25million instead. The 27-year-old has two years left on his current deal at the Emirates which sees him earn in excess of £100k-a-week, a wage that Sevilla simply cannot come close to matching.

The La Liga side tried to sign Pepe back in 2019 before he moved to Arsenal and have now reignited their interest in the Ivorian attacker. Pepe changed his representative earlier this year with the intention of changing clubs this summer and Sevilla have now taken the first steps to strike a deal with the Gunners.

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