Arsenal will complete the signing of Nicolas Pepe in the next 24 hours, according to Lille president Gerard Lopez.
The 24-year-old is on the verge of joining the Gunners in a £72million deal and has even been spotted taking part in a photoshoot for the club.
The winger will be a club-record signing as it will surpass the £55million they paid for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January 2018.
Speaking to French media outlet RMC Sport on Wednesday, Lille president Lopez said: “He is the one who made the decision, I think it should be (confirmed) in the next 24 hours.
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“It is 80m euro fixed. If we pushed this deal out a little bit longer, we could have had five or six offers of the same nature.
“In talking with Nicolas and his agents, the discussion centred on a few clubs so we preferred to focus on the projects that interested the player.”
Europa League finalists Arsenal have made three signings so far this summer.
Striker Gabriel Martinelli, 18, joined earlier in the window before a season-long loan deal for Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos was announced last week.
The signing of William Saliba from St Etienne was confirmed just hours after Ceballos, but the 18-year-old France youth international will spend the next season back on loan at the Ligue 1 outfit.
