La Liga club tables bid for Arsenal 28-year-old – report

Tue 25 July 2017 11:10, UK

By Danny Wright

Deportivo La Coruna has tabled a bid in the hope of re-signing Arsenal striker Lucas Perez, according to a report.

The International Business Times claims that the La Liga club has made an offer of roughly £9million for the 28-year-old, who has recently made it clear that he wants to leave the Emirates after a nightmare debut season.

It is understood that the Gunners are yet to respond to Deportivo’s offer for the player that they splashed £17million on last summer when they activated his release clause.

If Arsenal were to accept the bid, they would have made an £8million loss on the striker that earned just two Premier League starts last season as he struggled to find his way into Arsene Wenger’s first-team plans.

With the arrival of Alexandre Lacazette in north London, who has also taken Perez’s No 9 shirt, it looks as though the Spanish striker has slipped even further down the Gunners pecking order.

The International Business Times also reports that Turkish giants Fenerbache are among a host of other clubs across Europe that are looking to snap up Perez this summer, but it is understood that Deportivo are confident of striking a deal.

Football Insider Verdict

Perez definitely was not given a fair shot at the Emirates and although he scored seven goals in 21 appearances across all competitions, most of them came from the bench. The Spaniard clearly sees himself as a first-choice striker, and not many can blame him. He has shown glimpses of true skill and quality in his debut season in north London, but his purchase has ultimately been totally useless when Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott have all been preferred in his position. Arsenal might have to take a big loss on Perez, but it’s better than letting his contract wind down and then losing him for a lot less in the future. Everton were said to be interested in the forward last summer, so it remains to be seen if they come into the picture once again.