Arsenal have signed Ivory Coast forward Nicolas Pepe from Lille for a club-record £72million, the Premier League club have announced.
Pepe, who becomes the Gunners’ fourth signing of the summer, moves to the Emirates after an exceptional season in France during which time he scored 23 goals in 41 appearances.
He penned a five-year deal with the north Londoners after passing a medical on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old, who was born in France but plays his international football for the Ivory Coast, also becomes Arsenal’s most expensive player ever, with the £72million fee paid for Pepe surpassing the £55million spent on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2018.
Unai Emery, the Arsenal head coach, said: “Nicolas is a highly-rated and talented winger who was wanted by many of the top teams in Europe.
“Signing a top-class winger has been one of our key objectives in this transfer window and I’m delighted he’s joining.
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 1, 2019
“He will add pace, power and creativity, with the aim of bringing more goals to our team.”
Pepe, who can play on both flanks and also as a centre-forward, began his career with Poitiers before moving to Angers and making a name for himself during four years at the Stade Raymond Kopa.
Lille came calling in 2017, with Marcelo Bielsa, the current Leeds manager, pushing for Pepe’s signing after reportedly watching every Ligue 1 game he had played in before scouting him in person.
He scored 37 goals in all competitions for LOSC, with his superb 2018/19 season helping the club finish second in Ligue 1, behind only Paris Saint-Germain. Pepe himself finished second in the division’s scoring charts for the campaign, with Kylian Mbappe the only player netting more than his 22 goals.
Pepe said upon signing: “When I knew I was coming to Arsenal, I immediately thought of the French guys who play here.
“I thought of [Mesut] Ozil, the world champions, [Alexandre] Lacazette, [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang and many more. Of course, these are the players who sprang to mind because I used to watch them when I was at Lille.
“Also, Lacazette used to play for Lyon and so I have had the opportunity to play against him. It will be an honour to play alongside him.”
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