Former Newcastle United target Nicolas Pepe is a wanted man.
Lille winger Nicolas Pepe may not be a household name in English football, but he should be a name very familiar to Newcastle United supporters.
There are many, many players Newcastle have missed out on signing in recent years, with owner Mike Ashley unwilling to splash the cash on additions to Rafael Benitez’s squad.
One player Benitez was keen on in January 2017 was winger Pepe, then with French side Angers, having shown real promise during his time in Ligue 1.
The Chronicle report that Newcastle were pursuing a deal for Pepe in January 2017, and had to stump up £10million to sign the Ivorian – but backed away from a move, with some claims that they were only willing to pay £8million.
That summer, Pepe did earn a move away from Angers as he joined Lille, and he enjoyed a dream first season with the club as he smashed 13 goals and four assists in 36 Ligue 1 games.
Now, L’Equipe report (full access) that Arsenal, Lyon, Real Betis and Sevilla are all keen to sign Pepe, whilst one club have failed with a huge bid of around €35million (£31.5million) – though it’s unclear just how that deal was structured and how close to the deadline it was made.
Having sold Hamza Mendyl, Yves Bissouma, Ibrahim Amadou, Kevin Malcuit and Lebo Mothiba over the summer, Lille seemingly weren’t willing to let another first-team player go, and stood firm on the rapid winger’s future.
The 23-year-old looks set to only improve in the coming years, and a big move could be coming, with Newcastle no doubt ruing missing out on a player whose value appears to have more than trebled in just 18 months.
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