Arsenal reach agreement over stunning £72m Nicolas Pepe transfer

Pepe met with Napoli in the week with the Serie A club leading the race to secure his signature amid significant interest [Courtesy]

Arsenal have reportedly agreed a transfer fee of around €80m (£72m) for Lille winger Nicolas Pepe.

According to BBC Sport, the Gunners will pay in instalments and an agreement over a five-year deal is expected to be reached in the next 48 hours.

Pepe met with Napoli in the week with the Serie A club leading the race to secure his signature amid significant interest.

But their proposal has reportedly been rejected by Pepe's agent, who is pushing for a move to the Gunners.

Reports in Italy have suggested Arsenal are willing to pay the agents' fees and commission they desire, placing them in pole position to agree personal terms.

Pepe, who has also been wanted by Manchester United and Liverpool, could be an alternative to Ivory Coast team-mate Wilfried Zaha as Unai Emery looks to strengthen in the wide areas.

Lille's president, Gerard Lopez, admitted this week that the club accepted several bids for Pepe and he is expected to make a decision soon.

Lopez told L'Equipe: "I defined the asking price that Lille wanted. Several clubs have met that.

"It is clear that we have affinities with certain clubs. But we will take into account the footballing project that Nicolas has in mind.

"It is a big decision. It is in his interest to rapidly take his decision to not miss any more pre-season and to get himself a place in his new team.”

The agreement with the Gunners comes after Pepe's agent, Samir Khiat, took to social media to deny his client is on the verge of joining Manchester United, branding a tweet about him heading to Old Trafford "fake news".

A deal is now expected to be completed imminently to allow the Ivory Coast international to begin pre-season with a new team after a rest following his return from the African Cup of Nations.