Yet these claims were quickly denied by the media in Turkey.
Turkish journalist Firat Gunayer reported that the source of the update was Pepe’s agent, who was feeding the information to L’Equipe to try and make the move a reality.
Besiktas deny that there’s anything in the report, insisting they’re chasing players in other positions.
TheSecretScout report that Pepe has received an offer from Saudi Arabian club Al-Shabab FC, with the player’s representatives travelling to the country to work on and complete a deal.
Arsenal are only looking for a minor fee of around £2m to sell the winger, with the priority presumably to get his wages off the books.
The British transfer window closed on September 1st, meaning Premier League clubs can no longer register new players until the January window opens.
But other leagues have later dates for the closure of their windows, and both the Turkish Super Lig (September 15th) and the Saudi Pro League (September 7th) are among those.
Nice's Ivorian forward Nicolas Pepe (L) fights for the ball with Brest's French defender Brendan Chardonnet during the French L1 football match between OGC Nice and Brest at the Allianz Riviera Stadium in Nice, south-eastern France, on November 6, 2022.
Nice’s Ivorian forward Nicolas Pepe (L) fights for the ball with Brest’s French defender Brendan Chardonnet during the French L1 football match between OGC Nice and Brest at the Allianz Riviera Stadium in Nice, south-eastern France, on November 6, 2022.
Clubs in Saudi Arabia and Germany had reportedly looked into the transfer in the wake of the Besiktas move initially appearing to fall through, and Pepe returned to Arsenal to rejoin training for a brief spell.
With the Besiktas speculation once again coming and going, it seems Al-Shabab are the current favourites for the signing.
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