Mikel Arteta admits Nicolas Pepe could leave Arsenal during what remains of the summer transfer window.
A club-record signing in 2019, the Ivorian now looks the odd man out in Arteta’s first-choice frontline, with the arrival of Gabriel Jesus increasing the competition for places.
Despite the advent of five substitutions in the Premier League, Pepe is yet to feature this season and Fabio Vieira’s return from injury ahead of Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth could complicate matters further.
French club Nice have been linked with a move for the 27-year-old, who Arsenal would be prepared to sell if the right offer were to emerge.
With two years left on his contract, this summer represents the last chance for the club to sell before his value drops even further, although it seems almost impossible to imagine Arsenal will recoup anything close to the £72m they paid for Pepe three years ago.
At a pre-match press conference on Friday, Arteta said: “What we can communicate we always do when it’s the right moment.
“We discussed that we have a big squad and we’ve made some decisions and allowed some players to leave. Until the end of the window anything is possible with any player."
