Stewart tells GOAL that PSV have no interest in selling Pepi this winter as the club sees the American star as their future striker

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Stewart rules out Pepi saleOutlines plan for striker to move forward with Dutch sidePraises USMNT star's development since joining clubFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱AFPWHAT HAPPENED?

PSV has ruled out a transfer for U.S. men's international striker Ricardo Pepi, according to Earnie Stewart, the club's director of football. Stewart told GOAL Monday that PSV is not considering a sale, saying that the club has a long-term plan for Pepi that is still playing out.

Sources had told GOALthat clubs in both England and France had been pursuing the forward, who had commanded an offer of approximately $20.7M (€20M) from a Premier League side.

The transfer interest comes amid a remarkable run of form from Pepi, who is tied for second in the Eredivisie Golden Boot race with 10 goals, despite having played just 646 league minutes this season. Even so, Pepi has largely remained backup to veteran striker Luuk de Jong, who is fresh off a two-goal performance against AZ Alkmaar that put him on nine goals for the season.

Pepi's recent form for both PSV and the USMNT has caught the eye of suitors, while reports out of the Netherlands have said that PSV will fight off other clubs by offering Pepi a new contract.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT STEWART SAID

"First and foremost, regarding all the transfer issues, I can take those off the table because there's not going to be a transfer," Stewart told GOAL. "That's one thing that's for sure. The way I look at Ricardo, and the way that we look at Ricardo, he has been fantastic in the way that he's developed himself as a player. When he came, one of the things that we were curious about, but also spoke about, was his positional game, what to do as a center-forward in certain situations, especially in tight situations. If you see where he was almost a year and a half ago up to where he is today, it's been amazing. He's really, really made some steps along the way.

"He has, I guess you can say, been unfortunate, because we also have Luuk de Jong, one of the best center-forwards certainly from a heading standpoint that there is. They have been fighting for playing time, both of them, which has raised their levels to a certain extent. At some point, Luuk is, I'd say, not the youngest, still going strong for us at this moment, and hopefully for a little bit longer, but at the same time, we also see that Ricardo, at some point, is going to be the No. 1 for PSV."

When asked about talks of a new contract for Pepi or fellow American Richy Ledezma, Stewart declined to offer specifics, saying "I don't want to talk about individuals or anything, but just as a whole, at PSV, I'd say there's a lot of discussions going on right now."

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

GOAL recently sat down with Pepi to discuss a wide variety of topics, one of which was his transfer status. The USMNT star said he has become accustomed to seeing his name linked to other clubs, having known little else since his breakthrough at FC Dallas.

"It's just like such a normal thing now," he said. "You know if you're performing or if you're trying to get away for a loan or something like that, they'll be there. I think I've just made it a part of life already. That's the life that I live. Of course, there are going to be rumors of you going on, but at the same time, rumors can also affect your head a little bit. I just try to stay off, avoid distractions… If my agent doesn't tell me that there's a deal or that there's interest, I don't pay attention to it. I like to just keep things very compact in terms of information, so I can just focus on the main goal, which is performing on the pitch."

Pepi originally joined PSV in July 2023, making the move from Augsburg for a reported $9.8 million transfer fee. In total, he's scored 22 goals in 63 appearances for the Dutch giants, who currently lead the Eredivisie.

In terms of Pepi's role going forward, Stewart says that the striker has done everything he can to really push De Jong and, as long as he continues to take advantage of every chance he's been given, he, like the other players in the team, will eventually get his opportunity.

"In the end, it's really simple: once you develop yourself and work hard, there's going to be the moment. Just be ready for the moment," Stewart said. "That's what I keep telling them, no matter if it's Malik [Tillman] or Ricardo, when the moment comes, you need to be ready for it. As a young player, you always want to go really fast, but in the end, it's that moment that comes when you're called on, and that's when you have to show that you're ready to take it on. Ricardo has done that in many ways, Malik Tillman has done that in many ways."

AFPWHAT NEXT FOR PEPI?

PSV are back in action on Tuesday for a match in the KNVB Cup, where they'll play host to second-division side Excelsior. After that, they'll travel for Saturday's Eredivisie match against PEC Zwolle, who are currently 14th in the league.