Nicolas Pépé: Ivorian winger close to joining Turkish side Besiktas

Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe is very close to joining Besiktas on a free transfer, according to Transfermarkt.

The Ivorian spent last season on loan with Nice. He had an injury-plagued campaign, registering just eight goals and one assist from 28 appearances.

Pepe has yet to recover from a knee injury, but Transfermarkt reports that Besiktas are currently on the verge of signing the former Lille man.

He has entered the final year of his contract with the Gunners, and it is reported that the 28-year-old will terminate his deal to make the switch.

Pepe joined the Gunners from Lille four years ago under much fanfare. After a huge outlay of £72 million, big things were anticipated from him by the faithful.

However, he struggled to find the consistency. He produced some good displays in the Europa League, but could not replicate the same in the Premier League.

Pepe has just 16 goals and nine assists from 80 league games for the Gunners. He is now clearly out-of-favour under manager Mikel Arteta and looks set to leave for free.

Arsenal would have ideally preferred to sell him for a knockdown price, but his high wages of £140,000-a-week are undoubtedly a stumbling block for potential suitors.

As per Transfermarkt, the Gunners won’t receive any fee for Pepe’s exit, but they could save around £6.7m in wages if he has agreed to leave without any compensation.

Besiktas appear to have won the race to land his signature. Pepe will be hoping to revive his flagging career after failing to live up to the expectations in north London.