Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe set to join Besiktas
|Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe is currently having his medical in Paris prior to a move to Turkish Super Lig club Besiktas, according to L’Equipe.
The 28-year-old was seen at Emirates Stadium yesterday to watch the Gunners take on Manchester United and has since left for France to undergo his medical.
Pepe had earlier turned down a chance to join Besiktas earlier this summer but has now agreed to a move.
The Ivory Coast international is not in the plans of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and was on loan at OGC Nice last season.
Pepe recently returned to London Colney having been away since his loan move, but he did not join the main team in training and was doing personal fitness exercises with the rest of the other players not in the plans of the manager.
He joined Arsenal in 2019 from Lille for a then club-record £72 million and has made 112 appearances so far, scoring 27 goals and weighing in with 21 assists.
While the summer transfer window across major European leagues ended last Friday (September 1), the transfer window in Turkey does not close until September 8, so Pepe has enough time to get his move to Besiktas done.
It is unknown whether the Gunners eventually agreed to terminate his contract as his representatives wanted that having promised the Turkish club they would get the attacker for free.
Albert Sambi Lokonga, Rob Holding and Nuno Tavares sealed late moves to Luton Town, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest, respectively, in the closing hours of the English transfer window, and Arsenal will be glad to get more players out in the coming days.
Cedric Soares is another player the Gunners would love to get off their wage bill, and it remains to be seen if a club from Turkey or Saudi Arabia will come for him.