Speaking as part on an exclusive interview with Get French Football News, Mohamed Bouhafsi discussed the latest on the future of Lille attacker Nicolas Pépé.
“This is an €80m situation. So it is a situation that needs time and calm. What I can say is that there are very concrete discussions with Liverpool. Discussions that are not even denied by Lille, at Lille they don’t deny the very concrete interest and discussions from and with Liverpool. Even Bayern Munich, I haven’t checked in on this situation for a couple of days, but it is possible that other clubs have inserted themselves into the running. I know that one of my colleagues, Bilel Ghazi, who does an excellent job, who I want to congratulate because on top of that he is a very nice person at L’Équipe, speaks about Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan.”
“I don’t have any information on Atletico Madrid. For Inter Milan, I did speak about an unnamed 3rd club, following my exchanges on Nicolas Pépé and with Liverpool fans, and I think that this 3rd club could be Inter Milan. But I think that at €80m, this deal is too expensive for the Italian side. Then, I know that Jürgen Klopp adores Nicolas Pépé’s profile, he brings a lot of speed and he is made to play in England, with quick transitions and an exceptional ability to counter-attack. Discussions have been had with Liverpool, who have a very profound interest. The other thing that I know is that Nicolas Pépé is at AFCON and wants a couple of days to make his decision…”
“Liverpool haven’t denied (interest in Nicolas Pépé). I know that Bayern Munich are still following the situation closely, even if the Ivorian is not #1 on their shortlist. Their interest is still there like it was in winter. It is a situation that will decant in the coming days, or coming weeks, maybe just after AFCON. It needs time, because Nicolas Pépé is asking for time, and we have to respect the player’s wishes, who wants to concentrate on his national team. And don’t be surprised if other clubs dive into the race in the coming days, at Lille, I’m told that they are anticipating other Premier League clubs to get involved. It is not unthinkable.”
Read Part 1 of the interview here.
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