Three most likely destinations for Nicolas Pepe this summer
Nicolas Pepe has been the centre of ample amounts of attention this summer. It’s reported that a host of Europe’s biggest clubs are seeking to acquire the Ivorian’s signature. Pepe and his agent have loved every second of the speculation, playing up to it throughout the season. The 24-year-old was notoriously quoted as saying he’d want to go to a club where he could build a ‘connection’ with the full-back. In addition, his agent has been in constant contact with the media, letting the world know of his client’s availability.
This is not a situation where the hype comes before the performances, with Pepe the proof is in the pudding. In 38 Ligue 1 appearances, the 24year-old scored an astonishing 22 goals whilst providing 11 assists. Such figures have convinced Lille to demand no less than £70m for his sale.
Here are the three most likely destinations for Nicolas Pepe.
#3 Liverpool
It’s a well-known fact that Jurgen Klopp has a preference for exciting wingers. The German’s philosophy is centred around gegenpressing and countering opponents before they get the chance to reorganise themselves. Nicolas Pepe would be a dream signing for Liverpool as they look to bridge that 1-point gap between them and Manchester City. There was literally nothing more the Reds could have done to win the league last year. That’s why the signing of Pepe would help take them to the next level.
Bringing in Pepe to occupy the right-wing would free up Mohamed Salah to reach his true goalscoring potential as an out and out #9. Last season we saw how effective he was when deployed through the middle, imagine how much better he would be with both Mane AND Pepe supplying him.
So far this summer, the Reds have only signed a 17-year-old centre-back for £1.71m, meaning they still have a lot left in the transfer kitty. If you want to compete with Pep’s Fourmidables, these are the kind of signings you have to make.