Everton interested in £59m-rated Lille forward Nicolas Pepe Everton have expressed an interest in signing Lille forward Nicolas Pepe. The 24-year-old Ivory Coast international would cost a club record fee of around 65million euros (£58.5m) and it remains to be seen whether Everton will bid that high. Pepe has been linked with Liverpool this summer, with Lille president Gerard Lopez claiming there was interest - but this has strongly been denied by the Anfield club. Instead it appears it is their Merseyside neighbours Everton who are exploring the possibility of a deal for Pepe, who is currently on international duty at the African Cup of Nations. Ivory Coast face Algeria in the quarter-finals this week.
Pepe enjoyed an outstanding season in Ligue 1. He was the league's second highest goalscorer with 22 goals, behind Kylian Mbappe, as Lille finished runners-up to Paris Saint-Germain.
Everton manager Marco Silva wants a left-footed attacker who can play on the right, and Pepe is not the only candidate under consideration.
As Telegraph Sport revealed in April, Ajax’s David Neres also on their list. The winger is expected to cost around £35m, although he recently indicated he believes he will remain with the Dutch champions. Other options include the Lyon forward Bertrand Traore and Barcelona’s Malcom, who may be a more realistic target given the 22-year-old has been told he can leave, and at around £31m would cost significantly less than Pepe.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/07/10/everton-interested-59m-rated-lille-forward-nicolas-pepe/ [ 此帖被羅力亞在2019-08-01 23:42重新編輯 ]