Arsenal are ready to ditch £72million club record signing Nicolas Pepe.

However, the Gunners concede they might have to pay him to leave, says The Sun.

The 27-year-old winger is currently on loan at Nice but is not part of Mikel Arteta's plans.

But he still has another year of his £140,000-a-week Emirates contract to run and has attracted no offers from any potential buyers.

Nice, owned by Manchester United bidder Sir Jim Ratcliffe, have suggested they may be willing to sign Pepe on a permanent deal in the summer.

But there has been no indication that they are prepared to pay a transfer fee for the player who became the most expensive signing in Arsenal's history when he joined them from Lille in 2019.