German League giants Bayern Munich are reportedly planning to launch a bid for highly-rated Lille striker Nicolas Pepe.
The Bavarians will have to battle Arsenal to sign the 23-year-old who has scored 16 goals in 23 league appearances for his French side this campaign.
Metro reveals that the Gunners have been watching the forward for months, with former transfer guru Sven Mislintat heavily involved in scouting the goalscorer.
However, the Premier League giants will compete with their European rivals in a bid to land the goal poacher at the end of the season.
The publication reports that the north Londoners tried signing Pepe during the winter transfer window but the deal failed to materialise.
Meanwhile, French news outlet, Le 10 Sport claim Arsenal and Bayern are not the only teams interested in the France international.
Premier League defending champions Manchester City and Barcelona are also in the race to lure the forward to their camps.
Metro claims the Allianz Arena outfit have begun to make their move to snap up Pepe and Lille are ready to cash in on their prized asset.
World Cup winning striker, Kylian Mbappe (18) is the only player with more goals than Pepe in Ligue 1 this season.
While Lionel Messi (21) and Cristiano Ronaldo (17) are the only other players to outscore Pepe in Europe's top five leagues.
His coach Christophe Galtier said that, Pepe is just behind Neymar and Mbappe,' in the French League.
Lille will be hoping a bidding war erupts for Pepe after the club slapped a £72million asking price on the Ivory Coast international.
Arsenal are said to be considering backing off Pepe after the departure of Mislintat and are tracking more affordable targets.
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