Premier League side Arsenal has received a massive boost in the pursuit of signing Lille star forward Nicolas Pepe in the upcoming summer transfer window after club president Gerard Lopez has revealed that his prized asset will most certainly leave the Stade Pierre Mauroy.
Arsenal boss Unai Emery needs transfer reinforcements in the summer transfer window if he wants to build a squad that can compete for silverware over the next few seasons. One area that the Spaniard wants to focus on is bringing in a wide player to add more width to his attack and Emery should be happy to know that Lille star Nicolas Pepe is now available.
While speaking to Telefoot, Lille president Gerard Lopez pretty much confirmed that Pepe will be at the exit door at Lille this summer, “It’s certain he will leave. He’s in a price range that we cannot ignore anymore. There’s a career choice for him to make, I think he’ll have the choice to leave”
But the main issue for Arsenal would be that Lille will part ways with Pepe only for a transfer fee of £68 million and Emery is working on a tight budget. If the 47-year-old decided to spend big on Pepe to lure the forward to the Emirates, Emery will not have the funds to strengthen other departments.
Pepe has scored 19 goals this season and racked up 11 assists as well in the Ligue 1 guiding Lille to 2nd place on the French table.
Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich will also provide stiff competition for Arsenal in the hunt for signing the 23-year-old Pepe. Pepe was at the heart of things when Lille destroyed PSG last night 5-1 to prolong the wait for the Parisians to lift the Ligue 1 title.
