Sporting Lisbon on alert as Arsenal boss Unai Emery asks Lucas Perez to find new club

Bengaluru, August 5: Arsenal boss Unai Emery has reportedly decided to trim his squad further and according to reports, the Spanish manager has told forward Lucas Perez to find a new side.

Perez joined Arsenal two years ago under Arsene Wenger in a £17million deal after the Spaniard impressed heavily during his spell with La Liga side Deportivo La Coruna, where he scored 17 goals and helped them avoid relegation.

However, after his arrival at Emirates, the attacker struggled for game time and was rarely seen in the Arsenal starting line-up.

Perez was limited mostly to cup appearances and finished his debut campaign with eight goals and six assists from 22 matches. But the performance did not fascinate Wenger and he was sent to his former side Deportivo on a year-long loan deal last season.

After a shaky start, the attacker started to flourish in his familiar place. He scored only nine times and assisted eight in 37 games but sadly failed to prevent his side from getting relegated.

Following the loan spell, Depertivo did not activate the buy clause and apparently, the Gunners board were planning to pull buyers for Perez with Italian side Lazio showing interest.

However, after Emery's arrival, the player was told to stay put at Emirates for the time being and he was given a chance to shine during the pre-season tour by the new boss.

The forward appeared in ntwo of Arsenal's last four friendly games. But it appears his display on the pitch has not impressed Emery, who has now indicated the club sell the player.

The player has reportedly been placed on the transfer list for around £5million and Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon are the latest name to join the chase for him.

According to reports in Portugal, 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.

Sporting Lisbon have agreed a €5m fee with Arsenal for forward Lucas Perez, although are yet to convince the Spaniard to move to the club. [@AlfredoPedulla] #afc pic.twitter.com/ooxGb2irTx

— afcstuff (@afcstuff) August 4, 2018

But the deal is reportedly hinging on the player's personal terms. His agent too has come forward to address the rumours lately by suggesting no deal has been agreed but certainly the Spanish ace is now expected to leave the side permanently this summer. A return to his homeland or a switch to a different Premier League club appears more likely.

Apart from Sporting, he has also been linked with a host of clubs like Lazio, Fiorentina, Frosinone and Newcastle United.