Nicolas Pepe Seen in Arsenal Kit for First Time in Leaked Video Ahead of Official Unveiling

Arsenal record signing Nicolas Pepe has been pictured in Gunners kit for the first time after a leaked video showed him posing for pictures ahead of the imminent official announcement of his £72m move from Lille.

With the summer headlines dominated by claims of the Gunners operating on a minimal budget, Arsenal are believed to have structured payment of the fee over a multi-year period and fans will expect a swift return on the investment after Pepe starred in Ligue 1 last season.

Only Kylian Mbappe scored more goals in Ligue 1 than Pepe's 22, while the Ivorian also came second in the French division's assist rankings with 11. His performances propelled a Lille side that had come close to relegation in 2017/18 to second place and Champions League qualification.

Lille president Gerard Lopez has been very outspoken during the long saga and Arsenal are believed to have beaten a number of clubs to Pepe's signature. Napoli, Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Manchester United were all heavily linked with the 24-year-old.

Pepe is Arsenal's third signing of the summer following the recent £25m capture of teenage defender William Saliba, who has immediately returned to former club Saint-Etienne on loan, and the loan arrival of Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos.

Arsenal continue to hunt deals, however, and it appears that Celtic full-back Kieran Tierney might also finally join the club after a potential breakthrough in talks.

According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal are 'closing on an agreement' for the highly rated Scottish left-back after restructuring their offer to better meet Celtic's demands. The Scottish champions have been seeking more of the overall £25m up front and Arsenal were initially £5m short.

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There is now just over one week of the Premier League transfer window remaining ahead of the early deadline on 8 August. With Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny heavily linked with exits, Arsenal can still sell players after that date to clubs where the window is still open.

For a rundown of when the various windows in other key countries close, click here.