Arsenal to confirm £72m Nicolas Pepe transfer with announcement expected today

Arsenal are expected to smash their transfer record by completing the signing of Lille winger Nicolas Pepe today.

The Gunners are parting with a fee of £72million for the Ivorian, that will be paid in instalments over a number of years, and he has agreed terms on a five-year contract.

Head coach Unai Emery has wanted to add a wide forward to his squad all summer and Arsenal had looked at bringing in Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha.

However, Arsenal lodged a bid for Pepe last weekend and they have moved quickly to wrap up a deal for him.

Arsenal are back in pre-season action tonight against Angers , however paperwork surrounding Pepe’s move is unlikely to be processed in time for him to be available for selection.

Emery is expected to field a young team for the match in France as the Gunners have another friendly with Barcelona at Camp Nou on Sunday.

Despite tying up a £72m deal for Pepe, Arsenal are still expected to be busy in the final week of the transfer window.

The club retain an interest in Celtic defender Kieran Tierney, but have so far failed to match the Scottish champions’ asking price of around £25m.