- 29 June
- 33K+ views
Arsenal in BARGAIN bid for €75m-rated Bukayo Saka backup
Robin Bairner
- 30 Jun 2025 10:15 BST
- 8 min read
News
Arsenal have opened transfer talks with a player Mikel Arteta sees as a figure to challenge Bukayo Saka at the Emirates Stadium.
Arteta is seeking additional attacking midfielders at the Emirates Stadium this summer. There are fears that Saka, the Gunners’ star player, is carrying too much responsibility and is being forced to play too often.
Current ETV
Bukayo Saka
F, M (R)
Arsenal
Bukayo Saka
F, M (R)
Arsenal
ETV Range
€76M - €126.6M
Arsenal are, therefore, looking to add depth to their attacking pool – and ideally in a low-cost fashion.
One option that is being seriously explored is versatile Porto attacking midfielder Pepe.
Portuguese outlet Record reports that Arsenal have made “exploratory contact” to find out what terms Porto would accept for the 28-year-old.
Arteta has been told that Porto would not accept a free loan for a player who had a “season to forget” last term. The Portuguese club are not about to shut the door on a transfer, but do hold significant power given Pepe has a €75 million release clause and a contract that runs for two more years.
If Pepe does depart Porto, it’s likely to be a loan deal. This is because the Portuguese giants would need to pay commission to Yes Sports and N1 on any sale before next summer.
Pepe to Arsenal: A low-risk, high-reward deal
Pepe may be coming off a campaign in which he scored only five times and created four more in 43 appearances, but the Brazilian could be an effective low-cost option to act as a support player to Saka in the Arsenal squad.
At his best, he is a player who both scores goals and creates them. In 2023/24, for example, he finished the campaign with eight goals and nine assists across all competitions. If he can rediscover this level, he could win significant minutes and allow a refreshed Saka to become even more impressive.
Data analytics firm SciSports notes that there are strong similarities in the playing style of Pepe, a two-time capped Brazil international, and the England star. While Saka is a more rounded player, the Porto man is a creative force off the right.
Pepe vs Bukayo Saka: Playing style (2024/25)
Pepê
2024/2025 | Liga Portugal (PRT)
Right wing (583 Minutes played)
Bukayo Saka
2024/2025 | Premier League (ENG)
Right wing (1836 Minutes played)
Arsenal are unlikely to pay a sizeable loan fee and would hope to negotiate a buy option rather than a compulsory purchase, giving them some flexibility over the player’s future.
The prospect of joining the North London side, even as a fringe player, is likely to be an enticing one for Pepe, who has been at Porto since January 2021.
He would not only act as a backup to Saka but could also feature in a role on the left or through the middle. Such versatility is another precious attribute in the eyes of Arteta, who likes his players to be able to fill more than one position.
Arsenal may not typically target players in their late 20s, but the manager does have a tendency to bring in such stars as backup options to provide experience from the bench. In this way, a deal for Pepe would be similar to the one that brought Leandro Trossard or Jorginho to the Emirates.
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