Liverpool have agreed a fee in principle with Lille for Nicolas Pepe, according to L’Equipe.

The French publication names the Reds as one of four clubs to have had a bid worth €80m (£72m), excluding bonuses, accepted for the Ivorian international.

Lille president Gerard Lopez revealed yesterday that Napoli were one of the other four teams to have agreed a fee, following manager Carlo Ancelotti’s admission that the Serie A side had met with the 24-year-old’s agents.

L’Equipe also say Pepe is being pursued by Inter Milan and Arsenal, but it is questionable whether either of those teams have the cash to pay the full €80m.

The Gunners have been struggling to come up with £25m to sign Kieran Tierney from Celtic, while Inter have not managed to match Manchester United’s valuation for Romelu Lukaku.

Atletico Madrid and Manchester United were also mentioned as possible suitors for Pepe but neither are believed to have made a formal bid.