{"id":492523,"date":"2019-07-27T07:21:04","date_gmt":"2019-07-27T11:21:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonfootball.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=492523"},"modified":"2019-07-27T07:21:04","modified_gmt":"2019-07-27T11:21:04","slug":"arsenal-nicolas-pepe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2019\/07\/27\/arsenal-nicolas-pepe\/","title":{"rendered":"REPORT: Arsenal Agree Terms With Lille for Nicolas Pepe"},"content":{"rendered":"

David Ornstein of BBC Sport reports that Arsenal<\/a> have agreed terms with Lille for winger Nicolas Pepe<\/a>. In a tweet on his Twitter<\/a> profile, he says that it will be a club-record signing for the Gunners<\/p>\n

Arsenal Agree Terms For Nicolas Pepe<\/h2>\n

The Situation<\/h3>\n

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has been on the hunt for a new winger this summer transfer window. They have been linked with a number of targets, including Bournemouth<\/a>‘s Ryan Fraser<\/a> and Crystal Palace<\/a> winger Wilfried Zaha<\/a>. According to reports, they saw two bids rejected for the latter.<\/p>\n

However, now they have turned their attention to France and Lille’s Nicolas Pepe. The Ivorian rose to fame last season with his blistering form that saw Lille finish second in Ligue 1 and qualify for the Champions League. He scored 23 goals and also registered 11 assists, and was only beaten to Ligue 1 top scorer by Kylian Mbappe<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pepe, 24, had been linked with a move to Serie A with Napoli reportedly showing interest. However, a move to Arsenal is seeming more likely. According to David Ornstein, the club-record transfer fee is set to be paid in instalments. This is reportedly so it fits in with their transfer budget.<\/p>\n

A Successful Window<\/h3>\n

The signing of Nicolas Pepe would make him the fourth player to arrive at The Emirates this window. While the Ivorian is the standout signing, his signature would make it a successful window for Arsenal.<\/p>\n

The Gunners have signed a mix of youth and experience in their bid to make a long-awaited return to the Champions League. While Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba<\/a> may not see first-team action straight away, they are certainly signings for the future.<\/p>\n

The only other arrival at Arsenal this summer has previous Champions League experience. Dani Ceballos<\/a> season-long loan deal may not prove worthwhile in the long term, but he will certainly add quality to Unai Emery’s side.<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>