Meet the man going stride to stride with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Nicolas Pepe's record this season

Meet the man who has as many league assists as Cristiano Ronaldo this season and who is also matching Lionel Messi for goals

Nicolas Pepe, Lille's exciting 23-year-old right winger, succeeded Kylian Mbappe by being named as Ligue 1's player of the month for September, and has since scored either side of the international break against St-Etienne and Dijon.

Pepe's form has not gone unnoticed with just about every elite club in Europe being linked to the Ivorian after he helped Lille up to second in Ligue 1 with seven goals and four assists.

This does not appear to be a flash in the pan either as Pepe scored 13 times for Lille last season as the club just about avoided relegation after being dragged through the mire in a crisis-hit campaign which saw Marcelo Bielsa sacked.

Replacement boss Christophe Galtier reckons Pepe is "untransferable" and his average of a goal every 126 minutes, while respectable, may not even tell the whole story.

Pepe made a slow start to the term but has scored six in his last six games and if he carries on at that rate then Galtier may find his star man is transferable after all.

Read every day for no-nonsense previews and expert sports betting tips

Follow us on Twitter

Like us on Facebook RacingPostSport