Nicola Pepe Set To Have Medical At Arsenal After Lille Agree To £72 Million Deal

Nicola Pepe is set to complete a £72 million move to Arsenal as the Lille's winger reportedly will be having his medical at the club sometimes this week.

The Ivorian player has been top on Arsenal's target this summer and the team manager Unai Emery will be boosting his midfield with the player who is considered to be suitable to replace Aaron Ramsey who left to join Juventus in January.

Lille and Napoli had agreed in principle to a £72 million deal before Arsenal edged them out in a race for the 24-year-old with annual wages of £4.5 million compared to £3.6 million the Italian side is offering.

"It will be up to the player to decide where to go," Lille's president Gerard Lopez said last week, "Also on the basis of other proposals that his agents received from four clubs."

Aside from Arsenal and Napoli, Pepe was also linked to other clubs like Manchester United, Juventus and Inter Milan. As it is now, the player is on his move to Arsenal and a deal might be completed after his medical.

The winger will be Arsenal's biggest signing in this summer and third to join the club after Dani Ceballos' one-season loan move from Real Madrid and William Saliba from St Etienne.
 
Pepe was instrumental to Lille's successful run last season as Ligue 1 runners-up to Paris Saint-Germain during which he scored 22 goals in 41 appearances.