Lille president Gerard Lopez has conceded that there has already been interest in Arsenal and Manchester City target Nicolas Pepe for next summer.
The Ivorian attacker has been in eye-catching form this season, scoring 12 goals and providing eight assists in all competitions for Lille.
His performances have led to interest from several clubs and he has been consistently linked with a move away from the Ligue 1 club over the course of the season.
Arsenal and Manchester City have been keeping tabs on him, but the player has already insisted that he is keen to stay at Lille until the summer..
Lopez believes he has one of the best forwards in Europe on his hands at the moment in Pepe, and ruled out selling him this month.
But he conceded that clubs have already shown interest in him with regards to next summer.
Lopez said in a press conference: “We know Nicolas Pepe is among the best in Europe at the moment in terms of numbers.
“We know that he is being followed.
“Everyone has understood that he won’t leave this winter, even if interest has already been shown for next summer.”
Pepe has a contract until 2022 with Lille.
