£72m star expects late Manchester United approach despite closing in on transfer to rivals

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Nicolas Pepe reportedly still expects a late transfer approach from Manchester United as he closes in on a £72million move to Arsenal.

Pepe has been strongly linked with the Gunners in a club-record move, with the deal expected to be completed within 48 hours, according to BBC Sport.

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However, there may yet be another twist to this saga as the Ivory Coast international has been linked with a whole host of top clubs for some time after catching the eye in Ligue 1 last season.

Arsenal fans will hope it’s too late to change anything, but Pepe is also said to be anticipating an offer from AFC’s Premier League rivals Man Utd, according to the Sun.

The report also mentions interest from the likes of Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan, whilst stating the 24-year-old also failed to agree terms with Napoli.

Arsenal urgently need this deal to go through as Pepe could be a game-changer for them, providing them with a much-needed upgrade on the likes of Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in attack.

Nicolas Pepe looks set for Arsenal transfer, but Manchester United could still hijack the deal

Having relied so much on their clinical strike duo of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette to get them out of trouble last season, Arsenal could definitely do with more quality in the attacking midfield department as well, both to supply the front two with more ammunition, and to take the pressure off them to provide all the moments of magic.

United, however, also look weak in attack and could benefit from Pepe coming in as an upgrade on the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial.

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