Saudi club now lead race to sign Arsenal flop after he snubs Besiktas

An unnamed Saudi Arabian club lead the race to sign Arsenal flop Nicolas Pepe after the 28-year-old snubbed a move to Besiktas.

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Pepe is one of seven players Arsenal are keen to offload before the summer transfer window closes.

The Ivory Coast international has largely struggled at the Emirates since he moved to north London from Lille in 2019 for £72m.

Pepe, who mainly operates as a right winger but can also play as a striker, has made 112 appearances for the Gunners, registering 27 goals and 21 assists.

Arsenal sent him out on loan to French club Nice last season and now wish to sell him permanently.

Besiktas were strongly linked to Pepe but he rejected a transfer to the Turkish side.

According to reports, there is an unnamed Saudi Pro League side who are now the frontrunners to sign Pepe this summer.

It is thought that Arsenal are currently negotiating a transfer fee with the mystery club ahead of a possible move.

Many stars have made the switch to the Middle East this summer, with Saudi clubs paying huge wages to tempt players to leave Europe.

Neymar, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante are among some of the names to make the swap – joining Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League.

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