Arsenal have completed the signing of Ivory Coast winger Nicolas Pepe from Lille for a club-record fee.
The Gunners have paid £72m for the 24-year-old, who is believed to have signed a five-year deal.
After confirming Pepe’s signing, Unai Emery 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. He will add pace, power and creativity, with the aim of bringing more goals to our team.”
Pepe had an outstanding season with Lille in 2018/19, scoring 23 goals and registering 12 assists in 41 games.
Arsenal are understood to have beaten Napoli to Pepe’s signature, and the forward will wear the number 19 shirt at the Emirates.
He becomes the Gunners’ fourth signing of the summer, following Dani Ceballos, Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba, who will spend the season on loan at Saint-Etienne.
Samson Oyedeyi
