Arsenal flop Nicolas Pepe ‘wants to stay at Nice.. but Ligue 1 giants demand more from winger before permanent transfer’
NICOLAS PEPE reportedly “needs to show more” in order to get his wish of sealing a permanent move from Arsenal to Nice.
Winger Pepe, 27, has struggled to live up to his £72million transfer fee since joining the Gunners from Lille in 2019.
And following the arrivals of attacking players Marquinhos and Fabio Vieira last summer, Mikel Arteta deemed the Ivorian surplus to requirements.
The record-signing then headed back to Ligue 1 to try to rediscover his best form.
Pepe banged in 22 goals in his final season with Lille but managed just 16 in his 80 Premier League appearances for Arsenal.
This season he has managed to find the net eight times for Nice but has just returned to action following a spell on the sidelines with tendinitis in his knee.
Pepe appeared as a substitute in last week’s Europa Conference League win over Sheriff Tiraspol and then played the full ninety of Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Lorient.
According to L’Équipe, the ace wants to stay with Nice beyond the end of his season-long loan from Arsenal.
And the club are open to the idea of keeping him at the Allianz Riviera stadium.
However, club chiefs “want to see more from the player before making an attempt to retain him” for next season.
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Pepe only has one year remaining on his contract with Arsenal.
And the Gunners are likely to want to try and offload him and recoup some sort of fee back rather than lose him for nothing 12 months later.
But a lot could also depend on whether Nice qualify for European football again.
They currently sit seventh in the top-flight, six points behind Rennes, who occupy fifth place.