Newcastle United are keen on Arsenal striker Lucas Perez.
Newcastle United boss Rafael Benitez has been quoted by The Chronicle as saying that he has spoken to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger about a possible deal for Gunners striker Lucas Perez.
Benitez has been frustrated in the transfer market this summer, but he has managed to bring in Florian Lejeune, Javier Manquillo, Mikel Merino and Jacob Murphy, as well as signing loanee Christian Atsu on a permanent basis.
Another striker is a must for Newcastle, as not only have the Magpies let Daryl Murphy go to Nottingham Forest, but Dwight Gayle is injured and Benitez has seemingly been unconvinced by Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Recent reports have linked Newcastle with a move to sign Arsenal forward Lucas Perez, with TV Galicia claiming earlier this week that the Magpies were ready to pay the £13.5million asking price on his head.
Perez, 28, joined Arsenal last summer having starred with Deportivo La Coruna in Spain, smashing 24 goals in 59 games before a frustrating season at the Emirates Stadium, where he scored seven times in just 21 appearances.
With Arsenal signing Alexandre Lacazette this summer, Perez has been pushed even further down the pecking order, and is almost certainly set to leave North London before next month’s transfer deadline as he pursues first-team football elsewhere.
Rafael Benitez speaking with Arsene Wenger
Newcastle could be his next club, and whilst there are concerns over whether Newcastle can afford the asking price, manager Benitez appears to be very interested in signing his fellow Spaniard.
Benitez has now been quoted by The Chronicle as saying that he has spoken directly to Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger about a possible deal for Perez, with the Frenchman asking whether the Magpies have the money to seal a move before Benitez admitted he does like Perez.
“I was talking with Arsene yesterday because we had the manager’s meeting and I said ‘Listen, we have to talk’ he said ‘Listen, you have some money?’ I like the player but it’s too soon to talk about that,” said Benitez.
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