Marco Silva tells Everton to beat major rivals Liverpool to €65m Ivorian

Liverpool have been joined by Merseyside rivals Everton in the race for Lille star Nicolas Pepe, according to the latest reports.

On Thursday, it was reported that Pep Guardiola has sanctioned a €60million Man City move for Pepe as the looks at possible replacements for Leroy Sane.

The Ivory Coast forward is attracting interest from a number of Europe’s elite clubs after scoring 22 goals in Ligue 1 last season – a mark only bettered by PSG’s Kylian Mbappe.

There are conflicting reports on whether Liverpool are in for the 24-year-old, with the Reds have already moved to distance themselves from claims they are trying to sign the 24-year-old, although reports in France claim interest is there.

Now, a report from The Telegraph adds a new name to the mix, as they claim Everton are interested in what would be a club record £59.5m (€60m) move for Pepe.

The player is currently on international duty at the African Cup of Nations, with Ivory Coast set to face Algeria in the quarter-finals this week, meaning concrete talks with the player are most likely on hold.

The report claims that Marco Silva ‘wants a left-footed attacker who can play on the right’, and Pepe is ‘not the only candidate under consideration’.

It has been suggested recently though that Pepe has only got eyes for a move to either Liverpool or Serie A giants Inter Milan.

Other options for the Toffees apparently includes Lyon forward Bertrand Traore and Barcelona’s Malcom.

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