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Ancelotti not worried if Napoli lose out on Nicolas Pépé

Nicolas Pépé appears close to joining Premier League side Arsenal, though Napoli boss Carlo Ancelotti shrugged off that disappointment.

Ancelotti not worried if Napoli lose out on Nicolas Pépé
AFP

Carlo Ancelotti insists he is "not disappointed" after media reports began to indicate Napoli have missed out on Lille winger Nicolas Pépé to Arsenal. Ivory Coast international Pépé scored 22 goals in Ligue 1 last season, subsequently emerging as one of the hottest properties in French football.

Lille accept Arsenal offer

Pépé has been linked with a host of Europe's biggest clubs, including Manchester United, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain. Napoli and Arsenal appeared to be leading the chase, but speculation on Saturday suggested the Gunners had all but wrapped up a 80 million euro deal. And after beating Liverpool 3-0 in a friendly on Sunday, head coach Ancelotti seemed to accept Napoli have missed out on the forward.

"I don't like to talk about players of other teams, but I'm not disappointed," Ancelotti told reporters when asked about Arsenal's apparent success in landing Pépé. "We have some players like Allan, [Kalidou] Koulibaly and Fabián Ruíz who are still on holiday. We are definitely looking for players. The transfer window is so long. We are looking [at signings]. If there are opportunities, we will look to seize those chances."