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Nicolas Pepe's Trabzonspor contract expires on June 30 (Image: Getty)
Nicolas Pepe is set to become a free agent this summer, less than a year after seeing his Arsenal contract terminated. The 28-year-old has been amongst the goals for Trabzonspor but may not have played with enough regularity to earn an extension on his current deal.
Pepe's career reached its peak in 2019 when Arsenal paid £72million to sign him from Lille - a club-record fee at the time. But the Ivory Coast international didn't kick on in the way many had hoped.
Fresh from a 22-goal campaign in France, Pepe only found the net five times in his debut Premier League season. That increased to 10 in his second term, although that was as good as it got for the misfiring wide man.
Having fallen out of favour with Mikel Arteta, Pepe made just 23 appearances across all competitions in 2021/22, scoring three times. His last appearance for the Gunners came in October 2021, and he was shipped out to OGC Nice on loan the following season.
Nicolas Pepe left Arsenal last summer after falling out of favour under Mikel Arteta (Image: Getty)
Last September, after failing to find a buyer during the summer transfer window, Pepe's Arsenal contract was terminated by mutual consent. Overall, with the hefty transfer fee and the £7m-a-year wages accounted for, the 28-year-old reportedly cost Arsenal 'significantly' in excess of £100m.
A return of 27 goals in 112 games, and the eye-watering figures involved, made the free exit a bitter pill for the north Londoners to swallow.
Currently on a one-year deal at Trabzonspor, Pepe has appeared in only 17 of their 35 Turkish Super Lig games this season. And while his return of five goals is respectable, it has not yet proved to be enough for a contract extension to materialise.
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It remains to be seen whether, or for how long, Pepe is forced to linger in unemployment before an interested party swoops in this summer. His stock was boosted by helping Ivory Coast to a fairytale Africa Cup of Nations triumph back in February.
But Pepe's club form has been underwhelming. Trabzonspor are seemingly bound for third place behind runaway league leaders Galatasaray and Fenerbahce.
If his stay isn't extended beyond June 30, Pepe has a maximum of four games left with the Turkish side, starting with the second leg of a tense cup semi-final against Fatih Karagumruk later today (Wednesday).
