Lille not hopeful of keeping Pepe with Bayern, Barça and PSG lurking
The French club's coach admits there's little they can do if Europe's big clubs come calling
It seems more likely all the time that young Lille star Nicolas Pepe will leave the French club this summer for one of Europe's big sides.
Lille coach Christophe Galtier is not hopeful of keeping hold of the 23-year-old beyond the end of the current campaign.
"It's difficult to keep these type of players in out league," he lamented. "When the biggest clubs in Europe call you, it's really complicated.
"If Nicolas keeps going like this and improves his statistics by the end of the season, he will be on the shortlist of all of Europe's big clubs."
Galtier added: "The player's desire is also important. I am sure that, if the moment comes, everything will be very transparent. We will all try to find the best solution possible."
Pepe is having a great season, as are Lille, who are second in Ligue 1, only behind Paris Saint-Germain in the standings.
A large part of their success is down to Pepe: in 27 games, the forward has scored 16 goals and created eight more (participating in 55 percent of his team's goals -- 24/44).
It's not gone unnoticed around Europe. Barcelona, Bayern Munich and PSG have all asked about him. For now, the Germans seem to be in the lead but there's a long way to go.
