This archive report was first published on 26 July 2019.
July 26, 2019 - Lille president Gerard Lopez has confirmed that Napoli have agreed a deal in principle to sign Nicolas Pepe for €80m.
The 24-year-old Ivory Coast winger has been linked with several top European clubs, including Manchester United, after scoring 23 goals in 41 appearances last season.
Pepe's agent, Samir Khiat, and his staff visited Napoli's training base in Dimaro to discuss personal terms, but the agent's request of a €5m-per-year deal and a €5m agent fee is deemed too high by Napoli.
The Italian club could include one of their own players in the deal, with Adam Ounas potentially being used as a makeweight.
United have been strongly linked with Pepe, but they are not in talks with the player or the club and will not be signing him.
“Napoli have satisfied our request of 80m euros. Now it will be up to the player to decide where to go, also on the basis of other proposals that his agents received from four clubs,” Lopez told Tuttosport.
