Nicolas Pepe returns to Arsenal as Nice confirm end of winger’s loan deal
£72m signing is not part of Mikel Arteta’s plans ahead of next season
icolas Pepe will return to parent club Arsenal after a loan spell with French club OGC Nice.
The winger, who cost the Gunners a club-record £72m in the summer of 2019, is up for sale this summer after failing to convince in north London.
Finding a buyer, however, may be difficult.
The Ivory Coast international still has a year to run on the four-year contract he signed when making the move to north London and is thought to be on wages of around £140,000-per-week.
Pepe has seen the No.19 shirt he occupied following his move from Lille taken by January signing Leandro Trossard and returns to an uncertain future.
He is not part of Mikel Arteta’s plans in north London as the Gunners look to strengthen ahead of next season.
Standard Sport at the time reported Nice did not have an option to buy the player and the French club have now confirmed his departure.
In total, the 28-year-old scored eight goals and registered one assist in 28 appearances across all competitions.