Arsenal
Arsenal Leading Race To Sign 12-Goal Attacker, Deal Could Be Agreed At £45m
Arsenal are leading the race to sign Nicolas Pepe and Lille may be tempted to cash-in this winter if at least £45m is put on the table
The January transfer window is just around the corner and managers are working hard on possible deals or identifying targets for the summer so we’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest rumours. Today, Arsenal are leading the race to sign Nicolas Pepe….
Arsenal are leading the race to sign Nicolas Pepe and Lille may be tempted to cash-in this winter if £45m is put on the table, according to reports in France via TeamTalk.
Unai Emery is being tipped to enter the transfer market when the January transfer window opens with a new wide forward among his targets after Danny Welbeck was ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken ankle.
Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are our primary strikers but without Welbeck – who can play up front or on the wings – we have limited options through the middle and out wide so it makes sense for Emery to dip in to the market this winter.
Arsenal have been linked with a number of players in recent weeks but Pepe has emerged as a prime target and TeamTalk suggest that Emery has now informed the club he wants to launch a swoop for the exciting attacker.
The report cites L’Equipe – via French-based journalist Matt Spiro – as claiming Arsenal are now leading the race to sign Pepe and Lille may reluctantly cash-in if £45m is put on the table despite their owner’s reluctance to lose their star man mid-season.
TeamTalk state that the Ivory Coast international has a release clause set at around £45m and while Arsenal may try and drive the price down, Emery hopes to convince his bosses it would be money well spent.
The 23-year-old has been hugely impressive since joining Lille in 2017 and he’s enjoying an excellent campaign having provided 12 goals and 7 assists in his 18 Ligue 1 games so far this season.
Pepe is predominantly a right winger but he’s also comfortable playing up front so it’s easy to see why he’s being considered as a replacement for Welbeck if Arsenal were able to get a deal agreed this winter.
We’ll have to wait and see how things progress over the coming weeks but I think we need to sign a wide attacker and a top class centre-back in January if we’re to maintain our push for a top four finish this season and Pepe would be a great start.
