Nicolas Pepe, the former LOSC Lille winger, could soon be moving to Turkey. Besiktas, a club based in Istanbul who are one of the most successful clubs in the country, are the side that have begun to seek the Ivory Coast player’s services.
As tweeted by Fabrizio Romano, Pepe is no longer included in Mikel Arteta’s current plans for the North London outfit. The player, as a result, will look to leave the club in pursuit of finding a starting job.
Turkish side Besiktas have now genuine interest in Nicolas Pépé — he’s out of the project at Arsenal and prepared to leave ⚪️⚫️🇹🇷 #Besiktas
Negotiations will take place in order to discuss structure of potential deal. pic.twitter.com/f5gZF2I3x8
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 2, 2023
Pepe’s Time Spent At Arsenal a Disappointment
Negotiations Will Soon Begin
Romano further announced that the two clubs are set to enter into discussions centered on the details of any potential transfer. An exact fee for the 28-year-old will be revealed later as the parties discuss what each one wants from the other. Besiktas, for their part, simply want the winger, while Arsenal will likely try to get as much money for him as possible.
Read More: Arsenal Prepared to ‘Accelerate Talks’ to Sign ‘One of the Best in Position in EPL
Once regarded as the winger who would reinvent Arsenal’s attacking force, Pepe, who scored nearly once over the course of every two games in France, failed to solidify a starting role at the Emirates. His inability to impress Arteta got him loaned back to Ligue 1 as this past campaign was spent at Nice.
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Other Turkish Clubs Circle, But Besiktas Leads
Besiktas is not the only Super Lig team who wants to be in the running for the versatile player. City rivals Fenerbache have thrown their hat into the ring as another club that is monitoring the winger. That alone makes the race to get Pepe to Istanbul interesting as the rivalry between the two of them, including Galatasaray, is a fierce and historied battle that has been raging for decades.
Read More: ‘Packed His Bags’: Everton Target Prepares for Move with Medical Expected by ‘The end of the week’
Regardless of where he goes, the Ivorian will have to suffer being a footnote in expensive Premier League transfers that did not pan out. £72 million was the price that Arsenal paid Lille in 2019, and during his time at the club, he brought them no glory. He will have, if a deal to Besiktas is completed, only a couple of years to rescue the end of his career, but he can never rescue his legacy at Arsenal and in the Premier League.
