Arsenal tell Lucas Perez he can leave if €15m offer arrives

Arsenal have told Lucas Perez that he will be free to leave the Emirates Stadium this summer if an offer worth €15m (£13.4m, $17.6m) arrives, IBTimes UK understands.

The 28-year-old striker only joined the Gunners during the last summer transfer window after an impressive 2015-2016 campaign in La Liga, scoring 17 goals and setting up a further 10 at Deportivo La Coruna.

Everton also tried to secure his services then but Arsenal won the race after agreeing to meet his €21m release clause at the Riazor Stadium. However, Perez is likely to leave north London after being given little chance to prove himself during his debut campaign in the Premier League.

The Spaniard scored seven goals in 22 appearances but felt out of favour for Arsene Wenger during the last third of the season, failing to register a single minute of playing time from March onwards.

Perez was left out of Arsenal's pre-season tour to Australia and China and suffered the ignominy of finding out his number nine shirt had been re-allocated and given to new signing Alexandre Lacazette after reading about it online.

Last week IBTimes UK reported that Deportivo had launched an offer worth around €10m to lure Perez back to La Liga ahead of the coming season.

Perez's agent Rodrigo Fernandez Lovelle later confirmed the report, claiming that the bid is worth more than the reported £7.9m that Sevilla paid to sign Nolito from Manchester City earlier this month.

"Deportivo made an offer a week ago," he told PA Sport. "It is a permanent deal and worth more than Nolito's move to Sevilla. Of course (he was told he would play more). Lucas signed for Arsenal and was the happiest person in the world and with all of his dreams to fulfil. We have seen that every time he played he did well, but after every time he got fewer and fewer opportunities."

Lovelle added that he had travelled to London in order to discuss the future of his unhappy client with Arsenal yet to respond to the offer made by Deportivo.

"I'm here to see the Emirates Cup and to be with Lucas. We have talked to everyone," he added. "Arsenal know we want to go, that there are no opportunities here, and within a year there is a World Cup. Would you not be angry and sad and upset if you had your squad number taken without being asked?"

Wenger said on Sunday (30 July) that he still counts on Perez ahead of the new season, with the Spaniard having only missed the Emirates Cup due to an "injury."

However, IBTimes UK understand that Arsenal officials have told Perez's agent that his client will be allow to leave if they receive a €15m offer - €6m less than what they paid to secure his signing 12 months ago.

Deportivo are unlikely to meet those demands but Newcastle could join the race after Rafa Benitez's side made an enquiry into whether the Spaniard would be keen to continue in the Premier League.

Perez was especially keen to return to his homeland but he could still consider other options – as his priority is to secure regular playing time to increase his chances of playing at the 2018 World Cup with Spain.