Manchester United has initiated contact with French Ligue 1 outfit Lille for the signing of Ivorian attacker Nicolas Pepe, reports from England claim. The Red Devils are said to be confident of landing the winger's signature despite interest from multiple top European clubs.
Nicolas Pepe has enjoyed a very fruitful season in the French Ligue 1 for Lille, having scored 20 goals and assisted 11 in the campaign so far. His efforts have contributed massively to his club's objective of securing Champions League qualification for next season but the possibility of the 23-year-old leaving for a bigger side is now sky-high.
Earlier last month, the winger's agent confirmed interest from a host of clubs of which Bayern Munich was supposedly part of. Speculations suggested that the German outfit already had a bid of 52 million pounds rejected by Lille.
Nevertheless, interest in the player has since cooled in the camp of Niko Kovac's side who have now turned its attention to potentially bring Manchester City's Leroy Sane to the Bundesliga. As a result, Manchester United has emerged as the front-runners in the race for Pepe's signature despite rivals Arsenal maintaining a keen interest in the player.
According to Metro UK, Lille has slapped a 70-million-pound price tag on the forward but the Red Devils remain hopeful of reaching an agreement with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer aiming to bolster the squad. Following last weekend's win over Bordeaux, Pepe hinted at a probable departure although he maintained that a decision will not be made until the end of the season.
"We don't talk about it, the season is not over yet." he stated.
"Once it is finished we will be able to talk about it, but now no."
