Pepe rumoured to be in £30m move to Arsenal, Everton could hijack deal

Nicholas Pepe
Nicholas Pepe

According to the Mirror, LOSC Lille right-winger Nicolas Pepe is rumoured to be in a £30m move to Arsenal. The Gunners have shown interest in the Ivorian international and could make their interest official when the winter transfer window opens in January. Pepe has a lot of clubs keen on procuring his signature, however, with Everton, Barcelona and Sevilla also open to a deal.

The 23-year-old joined Lille from SCO Angers in 2017 and has gone on to make 46 appearances in all competitions, scoring and creating an impressive 29 goals. Pepe’s fantastic form has led to clubs monitoring his progress, with Everton scouts watching him score a hat-trick against Amiens in September. He’s contributed 10 goals in eight Ligue 1 appearances this season and could have a bright future under the right guidance.

It may seem Arsenal would lead the chase for his signature, but Pepe’s chances of regular playing time would be diminished at the Emirates with Mesut Ozil, Danny Welbeck, Alex Iwobi, Reiss Nelson, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan for competition. He’d surely start a better chance of featuring regularly at a club like Everton rather than Barcelona or Sevilla, so the Toffees shouldn’t be ruled out.

Stats from Transfermarkt.

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