Arsenal are hopeful of confirming the £72m club record signing of Ivory Coast winger Nicolas Pepe from Lille later this week.

The 24-year-old has arrived in London and will have a medical on Tuesday before signing a five-year contract.

The Gunners have beaten off a host many clubs who were after the young Ivorian.

Pepe had been linked to Liverpool, Manchester United, Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain after tallying 23 goals and 12 assists in all competitions last term, but it is the north London side who have jumped ahead of the queue with an offer to pay Lille’s asking price in installments.

Despite a poor campaign with Ivory Coast at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, Emery was full of praise for the 24-year-old, saying Arsenal will keep looking to strengthen the squad before the new season begins on August 11.

“The club is thinking about how we can improve. There are different players on the table,” Emery said after his side’s 2-1 defeat to Lyon in a friendly on Sunday.

“Pepe’s a very good player. We only want players who can really, really improve the squad. We want the best players possible for the first game at Newcastle.”

Kelvin Trudeau Musako

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