Arsenal to axe SEVEN first-teamers including record signing

Stuart Telford

• 25 Mar 2023 20:58 GMT
• 3 min read

Arsenal are set for a summer overhaul with Nicolas Pepe just one of seven players Mikel Arteta has deemed surplus to requirements at the Emirates.

Pepe joined Arsenal from Lille for a club record €80 million in August 2019, but he failed to live up to expectations, falling behind Bukayo Saka in the pecking order before being allowed to leave on loan to Nice at the start of this season.

The winger has recovered some of his best form in the French Riviera, with seven goal-involvements from 17 outings in Ligue 1, and the club owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe - who is currently bidding on Manchester United - are reportedly interested in making his stay permanent.

READ: Record signing open to leaving Arsenal

Arsenal know they would have to take a significant hit on a player who is now valued at just €13.6m by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm and out of contract in June 2024, but the Ivorian is far from the only player on the chopping block.

"[Arsenal] are ready to listen to offers for Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Nuno Tavares, Pablo Mari, Cedric Soares and Alex Runarsson but know that few of that list are likely to attract substantial bids," report the Sun.

Tavares might be their best chance of turning a profit. The Portuguese left-back has impressed on loan at Marseille, scoring six goals from his 24 Ligue 1 outings, but he has fierce competition in his way at Arsenal with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney in his way.

READ: Arsenal left-back performs U-turn as Newcastle prepare raid

Even Tierney could be sold, with Newcastle the most recent team linked with a bid for the Scotland international.

While Tierney and Tavares should command fees, Pepe could leave for nothing despite having another year to run on his contract.

Since Arteta took charge in December 2019, each of Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Shkodran Mustafi, David Luiz, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Sead Kolasinac, Hector Bellerin and Calum Chambers have been released.