Arsenal close to confirming €80m deal for Nicolas Pepe

Lille striker was second highest scorer behind Kylian Mbappe in France last season

Arsenal are close to confirming a club record €80m for Lille’s Ivorian forward Nicolas Pepe. Photograph: Denis Charlet/AFP/Getty Images
Arsenal are close to confirming a club record €80m for Lille’s Ivorian forward Nicolas Pepe. Photograph: Denis Charlet/AFP/Getty Images

Arsenal are preparing to announce Nicolas Pepe as their record signing after agreeing personal terms with the Lille forward on a five-year contract.

The Premier League club are to pay €80 million plus add-ons for the Ivory Coast international. Once the final details are settled and a medical taken, Arsenal expect to confirm Pepe’s arrival.

Napoli were among other clubs who had hoped to buy the 24-year-old, who is left-footed but prefers to play on the right side of a front three.

Pepe scored 22 goals in the French league last season, second to Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe, and provided 11 assists.

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Arsenal's record fee is the €63.7 million paid to buy Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018. – Guardian