Liverpool have reached an ‘agreement in principle’ for Lille winger Nicolas Pepe, along with three other clubs.
CalcioNapoli24 report via Sport Witness that the Ivorian winger has agreements in place with four teams across Europe, with Napoli and the Reds the only two sides listed in the report, and that now it is a matter of Pepe and his agent deciding which club shall be the attacker’s next destination.
The Daily Star also report that Manchester United are one of the club’s to agree a deal for Pepe, whilst the CalcioNapoli24 report states that the commission offered to the player’s agents will be ‘decisive’ in the potential transfer.
Pepe has been one of the hottest properties in football this summer, with the Ligue 1 star attracting interest from all over the continent from the likes of Bayern Munich (per the Sun) and Arsenal (per Le 10 Sport) on top of the previously aforementioned teams.
This comes after the breakthrough season the Ivory Coast international had with Lille, where the attacker, who is valued at £58.5 million on Transfermarkt, scored 22 goals and assisted 11 in Ligue 1 (per Transfermarkt) as the French side finished second in the table and claimed a spot in next year’s Champions League (per Wikipedia).
Indeed, when comparing Pepe to Mohamed Salah’s stats from last season via WhoScored, the Lille star enjoyed a more productive year. The Ivorian managed more dribbles per 90 at 2.7 compared to the Liverpool man’s 2.1 as well as winning more fouls at 2.8 per game compared to the Egyptian’s 0.8.
Pepe was also dispossessed on fewer occasions per match at 2.9 compared to Salah’s 3.1 as well as being caught offside fewer times at 0.3 per game to the Premier League star’s 0.7.
The saga surrounding Pepe this summer has been a long and drawn-out process, but it appears that we are finally reaching some sort of conclusion with where the Ivorian international will end up after such a stellar year, and for Liverpool, they will be hoping it is Merseyside he chooses to move to.
Of course, playing in the same position as Salah could offer some squad selection problems for Jurgen Klopp, but Pepe will add a significant amount of quality to a team that have been criticised in the past for their lack of solid backup as former Ireland striker Tony Cascarino said in his column for The Times via Inside Futbol.
Liverpool have been quiet this window with just the one signing, but bringing in Pepe could get fans rejuvenated again for next season.
Liverpool fans, would Pepe be a good signing? Let us know!
