Nicolas Pépé (29) has revealed that he almost made a return to former club Lille OSC this summer, before ultimately opting to join Villarreal in La Liga.
Pépé made 79 appearances for Lille, scoring 37 goals and registering 18 assists before joining Arsenal in an €80m move back in 2019. His move to the Gunners never worked out, despite making over 100 appearances for the Premier League side. A loan move to OGC Nice in 2022 failed to resurrect his career before he ultimately joined Turkish side Trabzonspor on a free transfer in September 2023.
However, having only signed a one-year deal, the Ivory Coast international was once again available on the market this summer. Speaking to Free Foot, Pépé has revealed that he almost made a shock return to LOSC.
“I had a chance to return to Lille. It tempted me. I thought about it because my family live in Lille and so it is something that crossed my mind,” said Pépé. Since moving to Villarreal, he has enjoyed a return to form, netting once and registering an assist in his first eight matches in La Liga.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
