Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has claimed that Arsenal offered more that quadruple the amount that they could in order to sign Nicolas Pepe.
Arsenal completed the club record £72m deal last week after beating off competition from the Italian club, and the Napoli president has claimed that they couldn't compete with the money that was on offer to both the player and his agents from the Gunners.
"Beyond James, Lozano and Icardi, there are also other names we are evaluating. I offered a blue figure, for Pépé, but we couldn't get it," said the Serie A club's chief, as reported by Spazio Napoli .
"You see, real football is housed in England. With the return of Ancelotti, Conte and Sarri this year we are stronger, but it takes time to get back big."
The Arsenal invoiced 5 times what Naples invoiced and therefore it could have been allowed to offer more than us. Patience, it means that we will find more Pépés.
Unai Emery will be hoping that the addition of Pepe will help to bring the best out of strikers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. The Ivorian was on the wanted list of many clubs this summer, but Arsenal stole a march on their rivals by agreeing to a figure with Lille, a fee that will be paid over the next few seasons.
De Laurentiis explained how it is tough to operate in the current transfer market.
"When you approach a certain type of player and the other party is aware that you want to buy, the game gets tough," he added.
"Everyone tries to make their own interest. Then there are the wishes of players and families to understand. When you buy a player, you also buy a part of his family, his life and his habits. It is not easy to make them change for those who have lived in another context.
"In all negotiations, there is a point of rupture and a point of reconciliation. Changing the lives of privileged children is not easy. It requires patience."
