Pepe nears Arsenal exit amid Nice loan negotiations

The Ivory Coast international is expected to return to Ligue 1 on loan

Posted Saturday, August 20, 2022 by Goal.com

Nicolas Pepe is expected to leave Arsenal to join Nice on loan. The two teams are yet to reach an agreement over a deal for the winger, but negotiations are ongoing.

Pepe, 27, has two years left on his contract with the Gunners but is not part of coach Mikel Arteta's plans for the current campaign.

The Ivory Coast international has not featured for the north London side so far this term.

What do we know about Pepe's move to Nice?

Pepe is expected to return to Ligue 1 for the duration of the 2022-23 season.

Although a deal is yet to be struck between the two teams, Arsenal expect a loan move to go through.

How has Pepe performed at Arsenal?

Arsenal signed Pepe from Lille in 2019 in a club-record deal worth £72 million ($87m).

He featured 31 times in the Premier League in his first season but soon fell out of the first-team, starting just 16 of the 29 games he played in the English top-flight the following year.

Pepe was in the starting XI just five times in the Premier League last term and made 15 appearances off the bench.

Overall, he played 112 times and scored 27 goals for Arsenal.

He has been linked with a move to several teams over the course of the summer, but the winger insisted in July that he was "determined" to turn his fortunes at Arsenal around and revive his career.