Liverpool Transfer News: Reds step up interest in €80 million rated Ligue 1 star

What's the story?

Liverpool won their 6th European trophy, and their first under Jurgen Klopp, when they defeated Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League final on Saturday.

Well, that's history now, and preparations for the next season are well and truly away in the transfer market!

It looks like European success will not stop Liverpool from strengthening their squad this summer, with the Reds looking to bolster their prolific attack even more by signing Lille's Nicolas Pepe, who has been given a €80 million price tag by his club.

In case you didn't know...

After amassing 97 points in the 2018-19 Premier League season and still losing out on Premier League title to Manchester City by a point's difference, Liverpool finally won a Champions League trophy to cap off their excellent season. It was the sixth European title in the club's decorated history.

Nicolas Pepe had an excellent season in the Ligue 1 with Lille. The Ivorian, who also has a French citizenship, racked up 22 goals for Les Dogues in France's top league this season. finishing behind only Kylian Mbappe in the scoring charts. The 24-year-old also had 11 assists to his name.

Naturally, many clubs have expressed interest in Pepe, including League rivals Arsenal and Machester United.

The heart of the matter

As reported by respected French news agency L'Equipe, Liverpool have accelerated interest in Pépé. The Reds appear to be closing in on the deal by offering the €80m that Lille are demanding for their star .

Liverpool have accelerated interest in Lille attacker Nicolas Pépé & appear to be closing in on offering the €80m excluding bonuses demanded by Les Dogues, according to L'Équipe.

— Get French Football News (@GFFN) June 6, 2019

Jurgen Klopp seems keen to add quality attackers to his front line this summer. The Reds sometimes suffered from the lack of attacking quality on the bench this season. Xherdan Shaqiri and Daniel Sturridge were not consistent throughout the season. Meanwhile, Divock Origi found his shooting boots towards the end of the season.

Given his age and goal-scoring stats, Pepe will represent an excellent acquisition, even for the hefty price tag. It's still early days of the transfer window, and it remains to be seen whether either of Liverpool's aforementioned rivals will join the race for his signature.

What's next?

Klopp's recent two signings, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson have been instrumental in Liverpool becoming European Champions. Pepe has all the qualities to do the same.