Arsenal are ready to terminate Nicolas Pepe 's contract if they can't offload the winger this summer.
The Ivorian remains the club's record signing following his £72m move from Lille in 2019, but has failed to deliver at the Emirates. Pepe's struggles saw him farmed out on loan to Ligue 1 outfit Nice last summer, but he was unable to rediscover his best form.
Mikel Arteta has no plans to bring Pepe back into the first-team picture at the Emirates with the player only having one year left on his deal. Arsenal are hopeful that buyers will come forward in the coming weeks, albeit they will have to take a hefty loss.
The Telegraph reports that, with Pepe among their highest earners, the north Londoners could even yet terminate his deal to simply get him off their books. Nice have no interest in pursuing a permanent deal for the 28-year-old, who scored eight times for them last term.
Arsenal have undergone a huge rebuild since Arteta's arrival and Pepe is one of the few players to still be at the club from the previous regime. Unai Emery spent big to land Pepe, who was also on Liverpool's radar, but he never built on his early promise.
Despite struggling to even nail down a first-team spot Pepe said several months ago that he could've been a difference maker in the Premier League title race, which saw Manchester City overhaul the Gunners. He told France Bleu : "I don't know what Arsenal want to do. I still have a lot of friends there. I could have been important for this club, but it's the manager's choices."
Arsenal - and Arteta - have shown their willingness to be ruthless when they axed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, albeit for disciplinary reasons in January 2022. He was frozen out under the Spaniard and eventually had his contract torn up, which freed him up to join Barcelona.
The Gunners are looking to build on a campaign that surpassed all expectations. They finished trophyless but will return to the Champions League after several years away with their young squad firmly on the rise. Several players could depart with Granit Xhaka among them, leaving an increased need for replacements.
Arsenal are showing plenty of ambition in the transfer market though with Declan Rice heavily linked with a move across London. The West Ham star is set to depart the Hammers and the Gunners are preparing a hefty bid to test their resolve.
They have also been linked with Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan, Brighton's Moises Caicedo and Chelsea playmaker Kai Havertz.
