Has Nicolas Pepe ended Everton’s hopes of £30m January move?

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Everton are said to be one of a number of Premier League teams who want to sign Lille’s Ligue 1 star Nicolas Pepe in 2019.

Everton’s scouts would certainly have been impressed when watching Nicolas Pepe this weekend.

According to the Mirror (30 September, page 65), the Toffees have sent representatives to check out the Ivory Coast winger on a number of occasions recently. Chief scout Martyn Glover watched Pepe score a hat-trick against Amiens and he hit his fifth goal of the season on Sunday as his Lille side beat Montpellier 3-0.

The report adds that Everton are now thinking about whether to make a January bid for the 23-year-old, who is understood to be valued at £30 million.

But the Toffees might be wasting their time because, speaking to Telefoot, Pepe has indicated that he has no interest in leaving Lille as early as January.

“I’m not leaving,” Pepe said when asked what the immediate future holds.

“I talked a lot with my advisers. I spoke with (director of football) Luis Campos who brought me to LOSC. Also with my family that counts a lot for me, and also with the coach who trusts me.

“It was important to talk to him. I decided to continue at LOSC to accomplish a big mission.”

Telefoot claims that Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Arsenal are also keeping a close eye on Pepe, who was the subject of a £26 million bid from Lyon at the end of the summer transfer window.

If Pepe continues his terrific form, expect more clubs to be added to his list of suitors between now and the end of the campaign. Everton have one hell of a fight on their hands.