Arsenal told Lille in August that they’re planning a January bid to sign Nicolas Pepe, according to a report in France, but now they’re facing increasing competition for the winger.

Le10Sport claim Arsenal made it clear to the Ligue 1 side in August that they were planning to come back with an official bid in the January window. There were various barriers to a move back then, including the Gunners restricted summer budget and, more importantly, the early Premier League deadline.

Since telling Lille of their interest though, Pepe has been on fire for his current side. He has six goals and five assists in nine matches this season, as well as winning a penalty against Marseille.

Now there’s plenty of interest coming in from elsewhere. The media have linked FC Barcelona to a move in recent weeks and Bayern Munich are reportedly also ‘looking more and more closely’ at the situation.

For a while, Pepe’s price tag was set at around £30m, but after these recent developments, the French media now put him at more like €50m (£44m).

Arsenal might need to make a move as soon as they get an opportunity before Pepe is completely out of their reach.