Ricardo Pepi appears ready to play hardball.
The striker has told his parent club Augsburg that he wants out, despite the fact he has a contract with the Bundesliga side through 2026.
Pepi has put together a standout individual campaign on loan with FC Groningen, scoring 10 league goals for a club that is in serious danger of being relegated from the Eredivisie.
That output stands in stark contrast to his production at Augsburg, which shelled out a club-record fee of $20 million in January 2022 to sign the U.S. international from FC Dallas.
Pepi struggled to adapt after making the move from MLS, and is still looking for his first Augsburg goal after 15 Bundesliga appearances.
With transfer interest growing, Pepi told VI that he is already looking for a new challenge less than 18 months after joining Augsburg.
“For me it is clear: I do not want to go back to Augsburg,” Pepi said. “I have already let the club know that. I have been promised things that have not been fulfilled. Then it is simple: You have to look for another club.”
Pepi’s comments came just one day after Augsburg manager Enrico Maassen said he was pleased with how the 20-year-old’s loan was going, adding that he’s looking forward to having Pepi back next season.
Augsburg sporting director Stefan Reuter was even more explicit in an interview with Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung last week, saying: “We are planning firmly with [Pepi] and have no intention of giving him away. Enrico Maassen rates him very highly.”
Pepi has been recently been linked with a move to Dutch powers Feyenoord and PSV, along with other clubs in Europe.
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