After the pre-season defeat to Lyon, manager Unai Emery used his post-match press conference to talk up the player and, unless a last minute offer comes in from Paris Saint-Germain, the 24-year-old will swap Lille for London in a £72m transfer.
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That’s according to Lille-based newspaper La Voix du Nord, who report the player is pretty much set on Arsenal.
Napoli were also in the mix for Pepe, who scored 22 Ligue 1 goals and created 11 last season, but are not believed to have met the player’s demands, whereas the Premier League side have.
“We are working, the club, and also thinking about how we can improve. There are different players on the table with the possibility that we can achieve their signature,” Emery said after the 2-1 loss to Lyon.
“Pepe is a very good player, and also we are thinking only [about] players who really, really improve the squad and also give us some different conditions to improve.