Report: Arsenal already planning to terminate 28-year-old’s contract if he can’t be sold this summer

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Arsenal are ready to cancel the contract of Nicolas Pepe if they are unable to find a buyer for the Ivorian this summer.

That is according to a report from Football London, which suggests that Mikel Arteta has no intention of reintroducing the winger into his plans ahead of next season.

It is little surprise that Nicolas Pepe appears to have played his final game for Arsenal. The 28-year-old, unfortunately, has never really come that close to justifying the fee the Gunners paid for him.

Arsenal prepared to terminate contract of Nicolas Pepe

He spent this past season on loan with Nice. And he went on to score eight goals in all competitions, including six in Ligue 1.

That is a reasonable total. But it does not appear that it will be enough to force Arteta into a rethink on his plans for the forward.

Football London reports that Arsenal want to sell Pepe ahead of the final year of his contract. But if they are unable to find a buyer, plans are place to try and terminate his deal.

Unfortunately, the chances of Arsenal receiving anything like the fee they paid for Pepe have long gone. That is hardly his fault. He had no say in what the Gunners paid to sign him from Lille.

So it is about saving the maximum amount at this stage. Arsenal have been vindicated for cancelling the contracts of the likes of Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the past.

So they probably are making the right call if they decide to let Pepe go by any means necessary. It is best for all parties if they go their separate ways this summer.