Arsenal are set to complete a £73m (€80m) club-record deal for Lille winger Nicolas Pepe, according to BBC journalist David Ornstein.
In a tweet on his personal account, Ornstein claimed that Pepe had already arrived in London and would take a medical on Tuesday before signing a five-year contract at the Emirates.
Arsenal will confirm the deal “later this week”.
The deal for Pepe would smash the £57m Arsenal paid for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January 2018.
Arsenal are on course to confirm the €80m club-record signing of Ivory Coast international Nicolas Pepe from Lille later this week. The 24-year-old winger/forward has arrived in London & will undergo a medical today before signing a five-year contract at the Emirates #AFC #LOSC
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) July 30, 2019
TiF Tactics – What are Arsenal getting?
The 24-year-old Ivory Coast international had a standout season in Ligue 1 and that had seemingly got him a transfer to Serie A. According to Sport Mania (via the Metro), Pepe was close to a Napoli move but decided that the Premier League would be a better fit for his career. His agent was quoted as saying, “I won’t lie to you: a total agreement was almost reached with Napoli.”
Arsenal fans should be delighted.
After a low-key season with Angers in 16/17 (three goals, one assist), Pepe found his feet with Lille and he scored an impressive 22 goals in 38 Ligue 1 games last season, adding 11 assists. Those numbers are phenomenal and his overall stats are mouthwatering.
According to wyScout.com, Pepe boasted 0.56 goals every 90 minutes in the 18/19 Ligue 1 season, slightly ahead of his xG of 0.48. He had just over three shots per 90 and over half of those were on target.
Pepe can play as a forward and a winger and his passing numbers are good too – 80% accuracy on almost 30 passes per 90 minutes, with 74.8% accuracy from passes to the final third and 55.4% accuracy from passes to the box.
The thought of him linking up with Lacazette and Aubameyang at Arsenal is almost enough to make you forget about their deficiencies at the back.