Arsenal have reportedly made a €40m (£34m) offer to sign FC Porto attacker Pepe, with the Portuguese giants demanding the Gunners to match the Brazilian’s €70m (£60m) release clause.
According to A Bola via Sport Witness, the north London side launched a bid to sign Pepe this summer following their capture of Portuguese teammate Fabio Vieira, though, unlike the 21-year-old midfielder, Arsenal have seemingly failed in their pursuit to sign the former Gremio superstar.
As per the report, Arsenal are now set to track Pepe’s progress for the season following the north London side’s rejected bid for the attacker, with the forward this year being likened to Liverpool forward Luis Diaz, with the 25-year-old set to become the Colombian international’s replacement for the new season.
The attacker only moved to Europe in the winter window of 2021, with Pepe mostly acting as a deputy to Diaz before the winger’s move to Liverpool this January, with the Brazilian since becoming a regular for Porto and helping the Portuguese giants to Primeira Liga title as well as success in the Taca de Portugal.
With Arsenal looking for a versatile winger who can mainly play out on the right, Pepe would be an ideal signing for the north London side with the Brazilian accomplished on either flank during his time with Gremio and now Porto, with the attacker starting the Dragoes latest fixture out on the left.
Indeed, Pepe suits the profile for what Arsenal need this summer, but with Porto already rejecting a big offer for the attacker, the Gunners could well look to other targets in the final month of the transfer window, with Arteta potentially eyeing a cheaper option than the Brazilian forward.
A versatile winger is arguably the last piece of the puzzle for Arsenal’s summer business this year, and whilst Pepe would be an exciting addition for the north London side, Porto’s price tag and the player’s age all point towards the Gunners finding a better option than the 25-year-old.
After all, Arsenal should be looking for a talent who could come somewhat cheap this summer as well as be around the age of 23 of 24, and for Pepe, the Porto star could be out of the criteria for what Arteta and Edu Gaspar are looking for in the final weeks of the summer transfer window.
