Ricardo Pepi will wear the number 9 jersey next season. PSV announced this on Tuesday. The American takes over the number from Luuk de Jong, whose future remains uncertain.
The fact that Pepi has already been given the number is another sign that PSV is no longer waiting for De Jong. It was previously announced that the club is working on bringing in Alassane Pléa from Borussia Mönchengladbach as a new striker.
De Jong’s contract expired this summer. Since then, the two parties have not been able to reach an agreement in the talks. According to the Eindhovens Dagblad, De Jong was hoping for a two-year contract, while PSV does not want to go beyond a one-year contract.
Meanwhile, the 34-year-old De Jong is training individually at PSV, while the other players are in full preparation for the new season. The striker, who as captain was the face of the team for years, is threatening to leave through the back door.
Pepi wore the number 14 jersey last season at PSV, where he was De Jong’s backup for a long time. The striker made an impression at the beginning of last season with many goals, but was injured in January and missed the rest of the season.