Transfer rumors: Arsenal and Man United linked with Lille winger Nicolas Pepe

After a breakout season in Ligue 1, Ivory Coast international Nicolas Pepe is attracting interest from Arsenal and Manchester United.

Arsenal, Manchester United, and Barcelona have all expressed interest in signing 23-year-old Lille winger Nicolas Pepe. In 2017-2018, Pepe scored 14 goals and assisted five in all 38 games in Ligue 1. That haul attracted the interests of several teams including Sevilla, Lyon, and Real Betis this past summer and now Pepe is in the running of joining a big club.

According to French reports, one of those clubs offered a £31m transfer fee which was rejected. This season, Pepe has gotten off to a scintillating start, scoring four goals and creating three assists in his first six games. That increase in production has seen bigger clubs such as Arsenal and Manchester United to push for a move during the next transfer window in January.

Considering a £30m+ fee was rejected in the summer, a massive transfer fee will be necessary to pry the talented winger away from France. It does not help that Pepe also signed a 5-year extension in the summer of 2017 which significantly raised potential transfer cost.

Who is Nicolas Pepe?

Following the long tradition of exciting Ivorian wingers like Gervinho and Salomon Kalou, Pepe is a left-footed right winger who wants to cut into the box. He has shown ruthless clinical finishing and a knack for creating on the wing.

Gervinho also jumpstarted his career at Lille, playing alongside a player you may have heard of by the name of Eden Hazard, before moving to Arsenal in 2011. Pepe has a lot of natural ability. He is technically gifted with the ball at his feet and has a good positional awareness to finish off quickly paced counterattacks.

This season, he was won two penalties and subsequently scored both of them. In the box, Ligue 1 defenders have found it difficult to properly mark him and that has lead to a higher number of chances and a higher probability of Pepe winning a penalty for his team.

Lille has started the season off very well and currently sit in second place in Ligue 1 behind PSG. Pepe has led this charge by both being their main creative outlet and best finisher.

Will a deal happen?

If Pepe can continue scoring and contributing at the rate that he started the season with, he will be playing in England or Spain in 2019. It is more likely that Arsenal or Manchester United will win his services than the newly reported Barcelona interest.

Barcelona recently signed Malcom from Bordeaux to be that left-footed right winger to provide competition to Ousmane Dembele. Both Manchester United and Arsenal are desperate for some natural wingers to help give width to their central midfielders.

Arsenal has been playing Mesut Ozil on the right wing to middling success, while Mourinho has a lack of natural right-sided playmakers. Most Arsenal fans may be cautious about signing another Ivorian winger from Lille after being disappointed by Gervinho’s stint at the club. However, Pepe has a lot of potential and may be the kind of player that both English powerhouses need to challenge for the Premier League title.