Liverpool have moved into pole position to land Nicolas Pepe, according to a report in France.
Record Sport exclusively revealed back in May Manchester United were targeting the Lille attacker as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looked to beef up his forward line.
But in the days and weeks that followed, Pepe has attracted increased interest from a host of other clubs.
And Liverpool are “well positioned” to land the 24-year-old, report RMC.
They insist Bayern Munich are also negotiating with the Ivorian – with a third big club ready to enter the fray.
Manchester United, anyone?
Pepe is said to want time to mull over his next destination.
Real Madrid are stepping up their bid to land Paris Saint-Germain star Adrien Rabiot.
The Ligue 1 champions were sent reeling when the France midfielder knocked back a new deal. He was initially targeted by Barcelona but the Catalans have since closed the door on any move as they prioritise signing Frenkie de Jong.
This has allowed Madrid to steal a march on landing Rabiot, with president Florentino Perez desperate to satisfy Zinedine Zidane’s demands.
Staying at Barca, Nou Camp keeper Jasper Cillessen has confirmed he has talked to Matthijs de Ligt over his future.
The Catalans want the Ajax centre-back – as do Manchester United .
De Ligt will not make a decision until after the Nations League Final on Sunday when the Netherlands face Portugal.
But Cillessen has said: “I sat down with him to talk about all his options, but the same as I did with Frenkie (De Jong), I told him that the decision belongs to him.
“Matthijs is a good boy and he knows what he has to do.
“I can only talk about good things about Barca because it's a great club and I have a great feeling with Barca.
"Yes, but he has many qualities, he is very young.
“He is only 19 years old. Barcelona needs players with a very high level and he has the level to play there.”
So, de Ligt to end up at the Nou Camp?
