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Football London
Football London
Sport
Chris Davison

Arsenal gifted clear path to sign Nicolas Pepe replacement as Newcastle 'abandon' £60m transfer

Ongoing links to Oleksandr Zinchenko, Lucas Paqueta and Youri Tielemans are very exciting, so exciting that it's easy to forget that a new winger could be joining the club too.

It remains to be seen who that winger will be, that's if there ends up being one, but Nicolas Pepe looks set for a move away, and Bukayo Saka will be in need of support.

The pursuit of Raphinha is the strongest hint yet that Mikel Arteta is looking to strengthen his frontline even further this summer after the additions of Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira and Marquinhos, but the unsuccessful attempt to sign the Brazilian means much uncertainty remains.

READ MORE: Arsenal presented with £75m transfer dilemma as Edu 'closes in' on Oleksandr Zinchenko signing

However, one obvious candidate remains available, and it's all thanks to a fellow Premier League side. According to The Telegraph, Newcastle United have 'abandoned' their move to sign Bayer Leverkusen's Moussa Diaby after failing to find an agreement over a fee.

The report states that Newcastle were hoping to make a breakthrough on deals for Diaby or Alexander Isak this week, but a lack of progress has left the club's confidence 'drained'. It's added that Leverkusen wants a £60m asking price to be paid upfront, while the player would be demanding in excess of £110,000 a week.

After splashing the cash in January, it's no surprise to see why Newcastle are reluctant to spend big on one player, regardless of their much-improved financial situation. It's fair to say that the aforementioned figures are high, but if a club like Arsenal was serious in its search for a top-quality winger, then they shouldn't have much of an issue paying the price for one.

In terms of Diaby himself, he certainly fits in with what Arsenal will be looking for. The ability to comfortably play on either wing will no doubt impress Arteta, while 17 goals and 14 assists across 42 appearances last season highlight the attacking threat on offer.

At the age of 23, Diaby would also feel at home in one of the youngest yet most exciting teams in the Premier League. The Gunners have actually been credited with interest in the French international before and were said to be following his progress back in March.

Now it will be interesting to see if Newcastle's change of stance leads to any talks being picked up by the north London side or if they, too, are put off by the numbers. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has said that he expects Arsenal to make a move for a new winger in the coming days, so time will tell.

READ NEXT:

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Arsenal 'guaranteed' to complete three more summer transfers if they sign Oleksandr Zinchenko

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