Manchester United have reportedly stepped up the pursuit of Lille winger Nicolas Pepe under the recommendation of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Red Devils have pursued the likes of Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka so far in the transfer window and they are expected to announce few more arrivals before next month’s deadline.
A central defender and midfielder have been earmarked as the priorities for the club but a report from The Times suggests that United are aiming to swoop for the services of Pepe from Lille.
The same publication claims that the club have received the go-ahead from Solskjaer but the winger won’t come on the cheap with Lille set to demand £70m for the 24-year-old.
Furthermore, it is suggested that the deal may be directly dependent on the departure of Romelu Lukaku, who has been heavily linked with a switch to Inter Milan.
Pepe had a stunning season with Lille where he bagged 22 goals and 11 assists in the French top-flight and that helped his team return to the Champions League with a second-place finish.
At present, United don’t have an effective option on the right side of the attack unlike in the opposite flank and they could do with the services of Pepe, who likes to cut inside with the intent of finding the net.
Moreover, he is generally left-footed and that offers the team with a different dimension to the attack. Juan Mata remains the only other left-footed United player, who has regularly featured out wide.
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