Newcastle's transfer hunt puts Arsenal's proposed £63m Nicolas Pepe replacement under threat

Newcastle continue to show their threat towards Arsenal in the transfer market ahead of next season. This time around could be on the verge of stealing Arsenal’s ideal Nicolas Pepe replacement.

According to French news outlet L'Equipe, the Magpies are interested in Moussa Diaby and consider him their priority target in the summer window. The report goes on to claim that an offer should be made for the French winger soon.

This news comes after reports that the Gunners were also interested in Diaby earlier in the season. Pepe is likely to depart from the club, and Diaby certainly would have been an excellent replacement for the Ivorian - a move which has been put in doubt by Newcastle.

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Eddie Howe added Bruno Guimaraes to his team in the January transfer window, despite Arsenal also reportedly being interested in the midfielder. That decision caused unrest amongst the fanbase.

The Gunners failed to sign a midfielder in the winter window, which made losing out on Guimaraes feel even worse for fans of the north London side. He certainly would have improved Mikel Arteta’s midfield, who will be set to suffer from a lack of depth in the summer due to a number of departures in this position.

The same situation must not be repeated with Diaby. The Frenchman would be an excellent addition to the squad if Edu continues to pursue a deal. The north London side needs to make the decision whether to keep or sell Pepe at the end of the season, as he enters the territory of having less than three years left on his contract.

Keeping him beyond two years remaining on his contract will massively debunk his value and increase the threat of