Lille President Reveals Massive Asking Price for Nicolas Pepe

Lille president Gerard Lopez has suggested it will cost €80m for a club to sign Nicolas Pépé at the end of the season.

Lille president Gerard Lopez has suggested it will cost €80m for a club to sign Nicolas Pépé at the end of the season, having already rejected offers of €50m from teams in the Premier League.

The Ivorian winger has been one of the stand out players in Ligue 1 this season, scoring 16 goals and claiming ten assists in just 27 league games for Les Dogues.

Arsenal and Bayern Munich have been heavily linked with a move for the 23-year-old as well as a number of other club's dotted around Europe's top five leagues.

But Lille's president Lopez has insisted that Pépé won't come cheap as they've already rejected big money offers for him throughout this season.

"That does not just depend on the club. It also depends on the player," Lopez said when asked if Pépé could stay for another season, quoted by Metro. "He deserves to play at the highest level. We have offers yes.

"In England, there are clubs. We have had offers worth €50m. We will not sell for less, we have even refused a €50m bid. We had an offer from China worth €80m with an astronomical salary, but he didn’t want to go."

Pépé still has three years left on his current contract at the Stade Pierre Mauroy having only joined the club in 2017. He was directly involved in 18 goals in his first season with the club, but is now currently in the best form of his career.

Along with Arsenal and Bayern Munich, the likes of Barcelona, Liverpool and Manchester United have also been linked with a move for Pépé at the end of the season.