The Latest on Nicolas Pepe’s Impending Move to Arsenal

It seems Arsenal are one step closer to securing Nicolas Pepe’s coveted signature, with Napoli reportedly admitting defeat in the race for the Ivorian.

If you had told a group of football fans a month ago that Nicolas Pepe would sign for Arsenal, a few, maybe even a majority, would laugh in your face. Not that Arsenal is a bad destination, it certainly isn’t, but at the time, top European clubs like Bayern Munich and Liverpool were heavily linked with the player. With all do respect to the Gunners, they aren’t anywhere near that bracket of clubs for the time being.

However, it seems that things have changed over a month, with Nicolas Pepe now set to join Arsenal this week, despite the Gunners only being able to offer Europa League football this coming season.

Of course, the image of Arsenal is still high and mighty in Europe, and they’ve used it to seemingly lure in a massive target here.

The deal is not yet official, but many sources are claiming that everything that needs to be figured out, has already been figured out, and only a medical is yet to happen. The print version of German outlet Kicker claims that the deal is done, while reliable Lille outlet, Lille News, claims that the Ivorian will sign for Arsenal ‘in the coming hours’.

Of course, some fans have pushed the limits, as usual within these massive transfers, taking to social media to track down players’ friends and family for confirmation. Of course, this has happened with Pepe’s move to Arsenal as well:

Due to the sheer size of this deal, which would break Arsenal’s transfer record, many other outlets are also chiming in on their understandings of the deal. Paul MacInnes of the Guardian claims that Pepe will undergo his medical shortly, while Tom Caldon of the Daily Mail says that Arsenal are set to confirm the signing today itself!

Lastly, reliable Lille outlet La Voix Du Nord has said that “Pepe has practically made his decision to join Arsenal and except for a late move from PSG (unlikely), he could engage with the Gunners as soon as Tuesday/ Wednesday.”

While there are varying degrees of how far the deal has progresses, all of the signs are extremely positive for Arsenal, and it does seem likely now that they will seal this signing quite comfortably in the end. It will be a major coup for them moving forward, as Nicolas Pepe represents a type of player which has been missing in their team for quite some time.