Arsenal star Nicolas Pepe is subject of a late transfer battle that could see the record signing leave the Emirates Stadium late on.
Pepe has underwhelmed since his mammoth £72m arrival from Lille, glittering sporadically under both Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta. Since Bukayo Saka's rise to becoming Arsenal's standout star, the Ivorian has struggled for game time on the right-wing, too.
Now, there are apparently three clubs interested, with 90min reporting interest from across Europe.
Despite Pepe's limited plans as part of the Arsenal side, it seems too late to sort a full transfer. It's far more likely that the 26-year-old would be granted his exit from London Colney in the form of a loan deal with two and a half years left to run on his current contract.
Pepe has had glimmers of brilliance for the Gunners and was a key member of the 2020 FA Cup-winning side. But too often during his time in north London, he's struggled with inconsistency.
TRANSFER DEADLINE DAY Every deal from the last day of the Premier League's January 2022 window, as it happens
Former manager Emery even claimed at one stage that Pepe was a second-choice target behind Crystal Palace's Wilfred Zaha, an international teammate of Pepe's.
With Arsenal chasing Alexander Isak before the deadline tonight, it could be that Real Sociedad are one of the unnamed sides interested in the player. The other interest is reportedly from Germany and France.
More Arsenal news
TRANSFER REPORT Gunners set for surprise move for Premier League midfielder
PREMIER LEAGUE Arsenal charged by FA following red card complaints in defeat to Man City
JANUARY WINDOW Report: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has an unlikely escape route as transfer window opens
‘The pure simplicity of the way Slot has managed the squad is probably the biggest thing I could say about him. It’s not broken, so let’s get on with it’: Liverpool legend full of admiration for Jurgen Klopp's successor at Anfield
‘I trained at Spurs and thought they’d give me a chance. But I received a letter thanking me but saying they didn’t think I was good enough – I was gutted’: How Tottenham missed out on signing Wales legend John Toshack
