Depor Maintain Lucas Perez Interest With Arsenal Set to Make a Massive £12m Loss on Striker
Lucas Pérez is ready to call time on his Arsenal career after a frustrating maiden campaign in north London. Arsène Wenger rarely gave the 28-year-old Spaniard a look in last season following a £17m move from La Liga outfit Deportivo La Coruna.
Despite calls from the fans to give Lucas more game time he remained mostly used as an impact player, racking up just 21 appearances for the Gunners. The Spaniard now looks set to leave the Premier League with the striker keen on a return to Deportivo La Coruña.
Deportivo, also keen on reforming their old partnership, are only willing to pay €9m for the striker. Should Lucas ditch Arsenal this summer, the Gunners would have lost close to €12m in the space of 12 months, according to reports from Marca.
The 'final straw' for Lucas was the club's decision to take away his number 9 shirt without asking or informing the striker first. Following a £50m move from Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais, new man Alexandre Lacazette was gifted the shirt number, although some Arsenal fans have apprehensions about the decision.
Putting the obvious disrespect of Lucas to one side, the history surrounding the shirt will worry Arsenal fans. Since Nicolas Anelka's move to Real Madrid in 1999, no one has shone in the number 9 shirt, with Francis Jeffers, José Antonio Reyes and Park Chu-young just a sample of the strikers that failed to make an impact with the coveted shirt.
