Arsenal have been handed a potential transfer boost to their hopes of securing a deal for reported summer target Pepe.
After being linked with a move for the Porto left winger during the summer transfer window, the Gunners seemingly saw their hopes of signing the player dashed after he signed a new deal at his current club.
However, a recent report from Correio de Manha (via Sport Witness) has claimed that Porto are fearful that there will be more interest in the player during the upcoming January transfer window. It also states that Pepe is hoping to join a big club in the Premier League if he were to exit the Portuguese club in the near future.
This is where Arsenal and Edu could have a chance of securing a deal for the attacker, given how they are currently top of the Premier League and aiming to win the Europa League this season.
Pepe could be perfect for Arsenal
After scoring 27 goals and providing 15 assists in 119 appearances for Brazilian club Gremio, Pepe joined Porto in the summer of 2021. Since then, the 25-year-old has gone on to make 55 appearances for his current club across all competitions, scoring eight goals and supplying nine assists along the way.
In addition to offering a useful attacking threat, the 35-goal dynamo has also made more interceptions (19) in the Portuguese top flight this season than any other Porto player, which illustrates just how useful he can be without the ball as well.
He has also drawn more than twice as many fouls (22) than any of his team-mates, highlighting how tricky an opponent he is for defences to handle.
Bearing in mind how Mikel Arteta only has Gabriel Martinelli in his squad as a predominant left winger, perhaps securing a deal for Pepe in January could be just what the Spaniard needs in order to add some strength and depth to his ranks.
