Manchester United have held talks with the representatives of Lille winger Nicolas Pepe, according to the Times.

It is believed that Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is spearheading the effort to sign the Ivorian international.

Discussions appear to be going well, but United will face serious competition from other Premier League clubs for Pepe, with Liverpool, Arsenal and Everton also interested.

The 24-year-old is valued at around £70m by Lille but no club has so far met the player’s asking price. It is believed the Manchester club will fund the move from the sale of Romelu Lukaku.

Pepe plays from the right-hand side, and with United having just Jesse Lingard who favours that position, a new addition in that area of the pitch would make sense.

Daniel James has been used in that role during pre-season but the Welshman has already stated that he prefers to play on the left flank.

Pepe was in excellent form last campaign, scoring 23 goals and providing 12 assists in 41 games.