Unai Emery has said Arsenal are continuing to work on a sensational club-record deal for Nicolas Pepe as he hailed the Lille winger as a player who can “really improve the squad”.

Arsenal are hopeful of completing a deal for the 24-year-old, who is available for a fee of around £72million, in the coming days. They have long been searching for an attacker who can provide natural width and Emery said Pepe is a “very good player”.

Speaking after Arsenal’s pre-season defeat by Lyon at the Emirates, Emery said: “We are working, the club, and also thinking about how we can improve. They have different players on the table with the possibility that we can achieve their signature.

“Pepe is a very good player, and also we are thinking only [about] players who really, really improve the squad and also give us some different conditions to improve. We are working in the last few weeks before the season starts with the first match against Newcastle to get the best team with the best players in our squad.”

Pepe would be Arsenal’s fourth signing of the summer after they secured deals for Gabriel Martinelli, Dani Ceballos and Saint-Etienne defender William Saliba, who has been loaned back to Saint-Etienne. They remain interested in Celtic full-back Kieran Tierney, who would cost around £25m.