Ivory Coast international Nicolas Pepe has not signed for Liverpool despite a mocked-up picture fooling some supporters into thinking the 24-year-old had become their first summer signing.
Pepe has been linked with a move to Anfield during this transfer window after an impressive season in the French Ligue 1 which saw him score 22 goals in 38 appearances for Lille.
A viral picture recently surfaced on Twitter which claimed to be a leaked screenshot of the player being interviewed for Liverpool channel LFCTV, which shows Pepe’s face along with the supposed caption: “I chose Liverpool because it’s a team I watched often.”
However, some eagle-eyed fans were quick to point out that the image was clearly fake and it soon became apparent the edited picture had actually been taken from Naby Keita’s first exclusive interview last summer, in which he said those exact words.
The news may come as a disappointment to some supporters, who are desperate for the club to make some new signings in order to try to push Manchester City for the Premier League title next season.
It has been relatively quiet at Anfield compared to last summer, where the club splashed the cash on acquiring the likes of Alisson Becker, Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri to add to the signing of Virgil van Dijk last January.
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Pepe had been identified as a potential target, although it is debateable whether he would be able to break into the first-team with Liverpool already boasting a plethora of attacking talent that includes Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.
Having won the Champions League the Reds would certainly be an attractive prospect for any player to join, and it remains to be seen if manager Jurgen Klopp does decide to swoop for any fresh faces in the coming weeks.
