Tottenham are set to open talks over a move for Lille forward Nicolas Pepe, according to Football Insider.
The report states that a “recruitment source” at Tottenham has claimed that the north London club has registered an interest in the 23-year-old.
The Ivory Coast international is a wanted man and it’s said that all five of Tottenham’s top-six Premier League rivals are also interested.
However, Tottenham are set to steal a march by initiating talks with Pepe’s agents in a bid to convince them that Mauricio Pochettino is the best manager to help him develop in the Premier League.
He is said to be valued between £50 and £60million.
OPINION
Pepe’s price is going up all the time. Tottenham were linked with the player last year when it was reported that he could be signed for £27million. Such is the price of his form this season. Pepe has scored 20 goals and added 12 assists in 36 games from the right-win at Lille and that’s set to make the attacker one of the hottest tickets this summer, with Lille president Gerard Lopez reportedly saying that he is ready to cash in on the talent. Pepe is under contract at Lille until 2022 and Juventus, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are all also keen on him. Could Pochettino swing the deal? There are few managers with a better reputation with young players but that’s an awful lot of money for a player who does better on the wing than in the centre. He’s certainly an exciting target though and Tottenham fans should be thrilled they’re being linked with players of his calibre.