Arsenal agree cut-price transfer fee with Sporting Lisbon for striker Lucas Perez

The Spaniard had hoped to win over his compatriot this summer (Picture: Getty)

Arsenal have decided to accept a bid from Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon for striker Lucas Perez after he failed to win over Unai Emery, according to reports.
The 29-year-old joined the Gunners two years ago in a £17m deal, but spent last season on loan at Deportivo after being deemed surplus to requirements by former manager Arsene Wenger.
Emery’s arrival appeared to offer Perez a second chance at the Emirates, with the Spanish boss even having tried to sign his compatriot while in charge of PSG.

Emery was keen to give Perez a chance to impress in pre-season (Picture: Getty)

Perez reported to training early in an attempt to impress the new manager and was part of the squad that travelled to Singapore for their pre-season tour.
However, Portuguese newspaper A Bola report that Sporting have agreed a fee of just £4.4million with Arsenal for Perez – a significant loss on the figure they paid just two summers ago.

Arsenal are keen to cash in and Emery has warned both Perez and fellow striker Danny Welbeck that they face the prospect of receiving very minimal game time next season.
Perez still needs some convincing to leave Arsenal, however, and Sporting are struggling to match his salary demands.

Perez is not convinced by Sporting’s offer, but Arsenal want to cash in (Picture: Getty)

To convince Perez to move to Portugal, Sporting will need to offer him around £6.2m a year – a figure that is outside their current pay structure.
Nevertheless, they are still hopeful of concluding a deal before the end of the month – with Arsenal free to sell players after Thursday’s Premier League deadline – especially if Emery omits him from his squad.