Manchester United are reportedly interested in Nicolas Pepe and are scouring the prospect of bringing the Lille winger over to England in the summer.
As per The Mirror, Manchester United are keen to address the problem area that is the right side of their attack. The Red Devils have entered the race for Nicolas Pepe and are scouring the prospect of engineering a £45 million summer move to land the Lille forward, who has also been reported to be on the radar of Liverpool and other top European clubs.
Nicolas Pepe has had a blinder of a second campaign with Lille in Ligue 1. The 2018-19 season has seen Pepe notch up 20 goals and 11 assists in the league alone, leading the club in scoring charts and in terms of assists. His form has been one of the major driving forces for Lille, who look on course to finish second in Ligue 1.
Pepe has been linked with a move away from Lille for the last couple of transfer windows. While there was genuine interest in his services in January, nothing materialized as the club meant to hold on to the 23-year-old for at least the remainder of the 2018-19 campaign. But, there will be concrete interest in Pepe’s services again in the summer, with Manchester United entering the fray as well.
While Manchester United have slumped quite a bit in recent months since the dramatic comeback against PSG in the Champions League, the run has allowed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to witness the problems firsthand, one of which is the lack of natural wing options on the right side of the attack.
Diogo Dalot has performed well whenever stationed on the right. But, with Antonio Valencia set to leave the club in the summer, Dalot will be required at right-back and Solskjaer would prefer a natural option in attack rather than the Portuguese youngster.
Jadon Sancho was, for the longest, tipped to be the priority target for Manchester United. But, Solskjaer seems to have decided not to pursue Sancho, with the youngster set to cost a fortune, and is instead shifting his focus to other more attainable targets to fill the right side of the attack.
Nicolas Pepe has shown he can contribute more than just pace on the wing, with the ability to turn creator and finisher whenever needed. United need wingers who can contribute goals and assists on a regular basis, something Pepe has proven to be capable of this season with Lille.
United are reported to be weighing up a £45 million move for the 23-year-old, who seems worth the price, judging by his stats from the current season and market conditions. With United also looking to bring in Swansea winger Daniel James, Pepe could prove to be an inspired signing by Solskjaer, who needs to take some bold personnel decisions, starting with how and with whom to fill the right wing.
