According to recent reports, Man City and Liverpool look to take their Premier League rivalry to the transfer window in the race for Nicolas Pepe.
The Ivorian winger caught the eyes of Europe's elites with his spectacular 2018/19 campaign, guiding Lille to a Champions League spot. The 24-year-old racked up 22 goals and 11 assists and was named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season.
The likes of Arsenal, Barcelona, and Liverpool were thus linked with the attacker, but the Gunners have been priced out of a move while the Blaugrana are pursuing Griezmann and Neymar. This looked to have paved the way for the Champions League holders but the Premier League champions have now thrown their hat into the ring, according to Don Balon.
Guardiola's interest in Pepe stems from the uncertainty surrounding Leroy Sane. The German youngster found himself on the bench more often than preferred last term and is reportedly ready to quit the Etihad Stadium for Bayern Munich.
The Bundesliga holders are interested in bringing the attacker to the Allianz Arena and with Riyad Mahrez failing to make an impact in his debut season, the Citizens might have to dive into the market to adequately replace Sane. As a result, they are willing to spend roughly $67M to land the French top-flight ace.
Whether the Lille ace is keen on a move remains unknown. He is currently in Egypt representing his national team at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, meaning the issue of his future will likely be solved after the tournament comes to an end.
