Arsenal attacker Nicolas Pepe’s proposed move to Turkish side Besiktas has now broken down, with the player refusing their offer.
That’s according to journalist Loic Tanziloic, who has claimed that the 28-year-old has rejected their offer, despite previous reports claiming that he had agreed personal terms with Besiktas.
“Nicolas Pépé (Arsenal) will not go to Besiktas. The Franco-Ivorian refused the Turkish proposal,” he tweeted.
This comes as a blow to Arsenal, who have struggled to offload their unwanted players this summer. Pepe is not in Mikel Arteta’s plans, and as a high earner, it will be important to cut his salary from the wage bill.
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It is now unclear what Pepe will do. With less than two weeks left in the transfer window, he and the club now need to find a new destination for him, and if a move is not completed in time, the player will be in limbo and the club will have to take a financial hit on him.
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Could Pepe stay at Arsenal?
One option which may not have been remotely considered before is the prospect of Pepe staying at Arsenal.
Once the club’s record signing, Pepe overall has had a disappointing time in North London, but that does not necessarily make him a bad player.
Pepe found himself constantly rotated in and out of the team, and when he was given a regular run of games, he finished the 2020-21 season as Arsenal’s top scorer.
He failed to pull up any trees in his loan spell at Nice last season, but given that Arsenal have been linked with a number of wingers as a backup to Bukayo Saka, he could, in theory, stay as a reserve option.
Arsenal were keen to get rid given his wages, but if no offer materialises, they could do worse than having him as an emergency backup. However, it does seem unlikely that Arteta will be keen on reintegrating him into the squad, given his previous insistence on parting ways with players he does not want.
Arsenal now must make a decision if no offer comes in: terminate his contract at a considerable cost, or keep him and give him one more chance to justify his price tag.