Lille president confirms Nicolas Pepe's switch to Arsenal

Lille president Gerard Lopez has confirmed that Nicolas Pepe will be officially announced as an Arsenal player in the next 24 hours.

The Ivorian has already undergone a medical and agreed personal terms ahead of a club-record £72m move to the Gunners, but the club have yet to provide a formal confirmation.

However, speaking to RMC Sport, Gerard has acknowledged that Pepe has already been sold to the Gunners and it was the attacker, who made the decision to join the north London giants.

"He is the one who made the decision [to join Arsenal], I think it should be (confirmed) in the next 24 hours. It is 80m euro fixed," he told RMC Sport when quizzed on the player's status.

Pepe is set to become the club's fourth signing of the summer transfer window following the arrivals of Gabriel Martinelli, William Saliba and Dani Ceballos.

Saliba has recently returned to Saint-Etienne on loan for the season. Ceballos, on the other hand, has joined the Gunners on a temporary basis from Real Madrid without a buy option included.