Arsenal 'eye up Porto's Pepe as Mykhaylo Mudryk alternative'

Arsenal are reportedly eyeing up Porto's Brazilian winger Pepe as an alternative to top target Mykhaylo Mudryk.

Mikel Arteta faces being dragged into a bidding war with London rivals Chelsea for the Ukrainian winger, with Shakhtar Donetsk seeking a fee of around £88m for the 22-year-old.

According to Portuguese newspaper Record, the Gunners could sign Pepe for a significantly lower fee than his £66m release clause as a result of him losing his place in the starting XI.

The report also claims that Chelsea are interested in the 25-year-old too, with Todd Boehly seeking reinforcements to allow Graham Potter to stamp his mark on a squad that is made up of mostly former manager Thomas Tuchel's signings.

However, the report also states that Porto manager Sergio Conceicao is reluctant to allow the winger to leave the Estadio do Dragao.

Since joining from Gremio in 2021, the Brazilian has scored nine goals in 68 appearances for Porto.