Real Madrid have reportedly made an improved bid of around €50million for Lille forward Nicolas Pepe, who has also been linked as a top transfer target for Arsenal in recent times.
Diario Gol suggest it may now be the Spanish giants leading the running for Pepe’s signature, with the Ivory Coast international one of the stand-out performers in Europe’s top five leagues this season.
Pepe has taken Ligue 1 by storm with Lille, and it’s easy to imagine he could shine for a bigger club in the future as he will surely be snapped up by one soon.
Following Danny Welbeck’s injury against Sporting Lisbon last week, the Sun claimed Arsenal were looking forced to step up their interest in the in-form 23-year-old.
It remains to be seen who will win this particular transfer battle, with Real Madrid known for tending to sign the players they want.
Their need is great as well, with the team looking significantly weaker after selling Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus in the summer.
While it’s big pressure for Pepe and indeed anyone else to replace the Portuguese goal machine, he could well be a similar kind of threat up front.
It will certainly be intriguing to see where he ends up next, though fans of English football would surely love to see him strut his stuff in the Premier League.