Arsenal to sell big-money winger, in shock transfer u-turn: report

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Arsenal thought all transfer business was concluded last week – but the Gunners may yet close a deal that looked to be dead in the water

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta celebrates his team's victory after the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal FC at Selhurst Park on August 21, 2023 in London, England.
(Image credit: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Arsenal look like offloading a big-money winger, as Financial Fair Play restrictions come into play at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners spent big in the summer, investing over £200 million in the playing squad, as Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and David Raya all joined. Outgoings have been a little more disappointing, however: Folarin Balogun left for far less than the quoted £50m, with Kieran Tierney, Nuno Tavares and Albert Sambi Lokonga all failing to find permanent transfers.

With the transfer window still not closed in either Saudi Arabia or Turkey, however, Arsenal have an opportunity to move players on – and have resurrected a deal which looked to be dead just recently. 

Folarin Balogun #26 of Arsenal FC looks on during the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge between Arsenal FC and MLS All-Stars at Audi Field on July 18, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Arsenal failed to recoup big fees this summer, including Folarin Balogun's sale (Image credit: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

90min reports that the north Londoners are going to receive a fee for offloading £72m signing Nicolas Pepe to Turkey in the coming days, with Besiktas still interested in a deal.

A move for the Ivorian looked to be off the cards weeks ago, with L’Equipe journalist Loic Tanzi reporting that Pepe had "refused the proposal" for the Turkish giants. With playing time extremely limited in Arsenal's current squad, however, and no better offers, there seems to have been a change of heart.

VIDEO: How Arsenal EVOLVED Declan Rice To Beat Man United

Pepe spent last season on loan in Ligue 1 with Nice but failed to recapture the kind of form which saw him bought by former manager Unai Emery and former director Raul Sanlehhi for £72m in 2019. The winger struggled for consistency in the Premier League and was eventually deposed from the starting berth on the right flank by a young Bukayo Saka. 

Emery later opened up on how he wanted Pepe's international colleague Wilfried Zaha instead, at the time that the north Londoners shelled out for the now 28-year-old. Zaha is also now playing his football in Turkey with Galatasaray. 

Most expensive British signing

Nicolas Pepe was Arsenal's record signing until this summer (Image credit: Getty)

Pepe managed 27 goals in 112 games for Arsenal. 

The France-born forward is valued at €18m by Transfermarkt. 

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Mikel Arteta has revealed the strange marriage metaphor he's used to motivate Kai Havertz. The Basque boss used another bizarre analogy recently to explain his tactics against Manchester City.

And the Gunners boss has had to defend Havertz already this season, notably after the 2-2 draw against Fulham.

Meanwhile, Brentford striker Ivan Toney has revealed he would be interested in a move to Arsenal in future.

Mark White
Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.