North London giants Arsenal have made a big bid for highly-rated Lille winger Nicolas Pepe in their quest to prise him away from the club when the transfer window reopens at the start of next year.
Italian journalist Nicolo Schira revealed that the Gunners have tabled a £45m bid to sign the Ivorian international player.
Nicolo Schira works with Italian media outlet Gazzete dello Sport.
According to him via his official Twitter handle, Lille want more money for the player before adding that negotiations are still ongoing for the in-form African star.
Arsenal manager Unai Emery has made Nicolas Pepe his top transfer priority in the forward positions ahead of the January transfer window.
The Spanish tactician has seen his forward options reduce due to the injuries to both Danny Welbeck and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
England international star Welbeck is unlikely to play again this season after suffering a serious ankle injury last month.
He broke his ankle and has since undergone two surgeries to fix the problem from the Europa League meeting with Sporting Lisbon.
On the other hand, Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been ruled out of action until next month after he broke his metatarsal in the North London Derby clash with Tottenham Hotspur in the Capital One Cup.
