Arsenal have a strong chance of signing Lille striker Nicolas Pepe in the summer transfer window, as Unai Emery starts planning ahead.
According to Football London, the 23-year-old is a priority target for the Gunners in 2019 and at the moment there is a 6/10 chance of the club securing his signature.
Pepe has been fantastic in Ligue 1 so far this season, registering 12 goals and seven assists to help Lille climb up to second place in the table, making them the best of the rest in France behind Paris Saint Germain.
Only PSG’s Kylian Mbappe has better numbers than Pepe so far this term and as a result of his performances, a number of top European clubs have registered their interest in him, including Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal.
Football London reports that Lyon value the Ivory Coast international at around £70 million, which means Arsenal would have to break their transfer record to secure his services, but the investment could pay off in the long run.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the club’s current record signing, having been brought in from Dortmund for £57 million at the start of 2018 – as per Football London – and he has quickly adapted to life in English football, hitting 26 goals in his first 40 appearances.
Unai Emery also has Alexandre Lacazette to call upon and he has struck up a formidable partnership up front with Aubameyang in recent months, but Pepe could add a whole new dimension to the Arsenal forward line.
With all three men fit and firing at the Emirates Stadium, the Gunners would arguably boast the most dangerous strike force in the Premier League, as they bid to plug the gap between themselves and title challengers Manchester City and Liverpool over the next couple of years.
Though it appears unlikely that Pepe will arrive in north London during the January window, there is every possibility that Arsenal could strike a deal with Lille this month, with transfer speculation set to intensify with each passing day between now and February.