Sky Sports pundit Guillem Balague has confirmed that Premier League giants Arsenal have approached Lille for forward Nicolas Pepe with a view to a move when the transfer window reopens in January.
The report from footballtalk revealed that the Gunners have been told that only a bid of €50m (£43m) would be enough to secure his signing from the French Ligue 1 side.
Ivorian international star Pepe has been in impressive form for Lille in the 2018/19 league season.
He has scored eight goals and provided seven assists in 13 Ligue 1 appearances for Lille and his sensational output has propelled his team into the top three on the league table.
His suitors Arsenal are in the market for a new forward following the serious injury sustained by Danny Welbeck.
The 27-year-old England international player suffered a season-ending injury in the Europa League outing with Sporting Lisbon at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night.
Welbeck broke his right ankle during the game which ended goalless on Thursday night.
He has since undergone two surgeries to correct the problem that will see him miss the majority of what’s left of this season.
Several forwards have been linked with the North Londoners as a possible replacement for the injured Welbeck.
