Leicester City are interested in signing Arsenal forward Nicola Pepe in a shock late swoop. Manager Brendan Rogers is eyeing a late reinforcement to his squad following their inactivity in the transfer window this season. Nicolas Pepe is available in the market and is closing in on a move to the French side OGC Nice. Now, according to Foot Mercato, Leicester could hijack the deal for the player to bolster their squad.
Nicolas Pepe arrived at Arsenal for a record fee of €79 million (£72 million) from Lille. However, he has failed to live up to his price tag since his arrival. Pepe had a few moments of inspiration last season but the moments didn’t come consistently. Consequently, Pepe has fallen down the pecking order of forwards under Arteta. Moreover, the arrival of Gabriel Jesus means that the chance of reviving his career at Arsenal is almost nonexistent. The club is ready to let Pepe go this summer and OGC Nice have expressed their interest in signing him on a loan with a buy option. Moreover, the deal could have a small snag as Leicester City are now interested in signing the player.
Leicester have not made any signings in the outfield yet.
The snag could arise in the deal because of the high wages of the player. OGC Nice cannot pay the wages demanded by the player in full. However, Leicester have no such qualms as they are in the market to sign a new outfield player this season. Leicester City are the only club who haven’t signed an outfield player. This inactivity in the transfer market is due to problems in the Leicester hierarchy. Also, the Foxes could lose key players such as Tielemans, Fofana, and even Madison this summer. The signing of Nicholas Pepe would be the right step in the direction of rebuilding that Brandon Williams is trying to do.
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