Report: Leeds United want to sign Nicolas Pepe from Arsenal

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According to Diario de Sevilla, Leeds United are one of the clubs who want to sign Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe this summer.

Jesse Marsch’s side have just lost Raphinha to Barcelona. The Brazilian, who scored 11 goals and provided three assists last season, was arguably their best player, and he has now left a huge void.

Leeds have done some really good business in this window already, but they just can’t start the new season without replacing Raphinha and his goals.

Marsch and Victor Orta have been on the lookout, and it looks like they’ve identified a potential replacement in Pepe, who was branded as a ‘great player’ by Marcelo Bielsa back in 2020.

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Leeds United want to sign Nicolas Pepe from Arsenal

Pepe is Arsenal’s record signing. The Gunners splashed £72 million to sign him back in the summer of 2019 (BBC), but it has to be said that he hasn’t lived up to his price tag.

In 112 appearances for Arsenal, the Ivory Coast international has scored 27 goals and provided 21 assists in all competitions. He is now the club’s second choice right-winger, and that is not going to change as Bukayo Saka has made that position his own.

The report claims that Sevilla, Marseille and Olympique Lyon are all keen to sign Pepe, as are Marsch’s Leeds United, who view the 27-year-old as a potential replacement for Raphinha.

The outlet further reveals that Arsenal are holding out for a fee in excess of £21.2 million, which could be a problem for the foreign sides, but Leeds should be able to afford that figure quite comfortably.

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Everybody will agree that Pepe has not lived up to all the hype at Arsenal.

In his final season at Lille, the Ivorian scored 23 goals and provided 12 assists in all competitions – only Kylian Mbappe managed to find the back of the net on more occasions.

Pepe has shown flashes of his brilliance at Arsenal, but a move away this summer is the best thing for all parties.

The 27-year-old, branded as a ‘phenomenal’ player, definitely has the talent to become a superstar, but he needs a manager and a system that suits him, and Marsch could well be the man to bring the best out of him next season.

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