Nicolas Pepe is one player that has been attracting interest from all over Europe and now Arsenal have moved ahead of everyone and are all set to complete his signing in the next 24 to 48 hours.
BBC Journalist David Ornstein confirmed via Twitter that the London club had agreed a deal in principle with Lille worth €80m and that all that is pending is the approval of Pepe’s agent. Ornstein said:
‘Arsenal have reached an agreement with Lille to sign Ivory Coast winger Nicolas Pepe for €80m. Paid by installments to fit #AFC budget. 5yr deal, agent agreement still needed but set to be closed in next 24/48hrs. Napoli also have an agreement with #LOSC but agent rejected the proposal.’
Arsenal have reached an agreement with Lille to sign Ivory Coast winger Nicolas Pepe for ~€80m, paid by instalments to fit #AFC budget. 5yr deal, agent agreement still needed but set to be closed in next 24/48hrs. Napoli also have agreement with #LOSC but agent rejected proposal
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) July 27, 2019
This is a very significant move as far as the North London club are concerned as they have beat out a lot of competition to land Pepe. Apart from Arsenal, the other clubs in contention included Liverpool, Napoli and even Manchester United.
Liverpool had the prestige of being the European Champions and Napoli had offered Pepe and Lille a very attractive financial package. But it is the one offered by the Emirates club that has made them bite the bullet and agree to a transfer for Pepe.
The increasingly likely arrival of the Lille winger means that this is probably the end of Arsenal’s pursuit of Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha who also happens to be Pepe’s teammate for the Ivory Coast team.
The 2018/19 season was a real game-changer for Pepe who went on to score 23 goals in all competitions for the French side. He is the type of winger that the Gunners have been crying out for a long time and it is a great deal of business for the club to have pulled out the bag.
Not many people would have really believed that Arsenal were going to sign Pepe especially as they did not have Champions League football to offer. But it is a testament to the club’s pulling power that such a player would choose to come to the Emirates. If and when the move is made official, it will be a status empowering move by the Gunners that will give them a real boost going into the new season.
