Lille forward Nicolas Pepe is edging closer than ever before to a move to the Emirates, according to reports in Express.
The transfer deal that the North London club have agreed with the forward’s club LOSC Lille is said to be in the region of £72m and now we have some clarity on the exact details of the contract. Italian journalist Nico Schira also took to Twitter where he said:
‘Done deal! #Arsenal have closed for Nicolas #Pepe. #Gunners will pay him €80M to #Lille. Pepe will sign a contract until 2024 by €6M a year.’
Done deal! #Arsenal have closed for Nicolas #Pepe. #Gunners will pay him €80M to #Lille. Pepe will sign a contract until 2024 by €6M a year. #transfers #AFC
— Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) July 29, 2019
Once the move is made official, Pepe will become the record transfer for the Gunners as they will be paying more than what they paid for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2018.
The Lille winger is currently on holiday and is expected to return soon. When he gets back, the move will be put on the fast track and it should all become official very soon. For the longest time, it seemed that the Gunners were going after Pepe’s Ivory Coast team mate Wilfried Zaha but that move proved to be too difficult to pull off.
And the Pepe transfer is certainly a coup for Arsenal as he has become one of the most wanted players in the world. This was proven by the fact that a host of clubs including Manchester United and Liverpool were after him. But it is the Gunners who were able to provide his entourage with a satisfactory offer and that clinched the deal in favor of the London club.
It also represents a smart move by the club as the fee for Pepe will only be paid in installments meaning that the budget of the Gunners will not be impacted too much. He is the kind of player that the club have needed for a long time so it is good that they have gone ahead with this transfer.
With Arsenal players hinting that a move is done for Pepe, the energy and excitement among fans is quite palpable. This is a great transfer by the Gunners and it should give their squad a real shot in the arm. Pepe is an exciting talent with a real eye for goal. Everyone related to Arsenal will be waiting to see him on the pitch very soon.
