Lucas Perez "angry, sad and upset" by Arsenal treatment as Deportivo offer is confirmed

Wantaway Arsenal forward Lucas Perez has been left "angry, sad and upset" by the club's supposedly unfair treatment of him this summer, according to agent Rodrigo Fernandez Lovelle.

Former Everton target Perez has been a peripheral figure at the Emirates Stadium since seeing his £17.1m ($22.4m) release clause at Deportivo La Coruna activated in August 2016, restricted to just nine starts across all competitions despite scoring seven goals and notching a hat-trick in a Champions League win over FC Basel.

With his future at Arsenal already subject to considerable doubt amid rumours of a return to Spain with Deportivo or Sevilla, the 28-year-old, also linked with Fenerbahce,Bayer Leverkusen and Marseille, was omitted from Arsene Wenger's 25-man squad for pre-season trips to Australia and China.

It was later claimed that the decision to take away his number nine shirt and hand it to new £52m signing Alexandre Lacazette was made without his knowledge, something that an angry Perez reportedly described as the "last straw".

Spanish newspaper La Voz de Galicia quoted a conversation with Dick Law in which the player apparently informed Arsenal's transfer negotiator of his desire to "leave to play and be happy". He also said he felt like he was "tricked" after being denied a move to China in February with the promise of more regular first-team action, only to be presented with even fewer opportunities.

Lovelle flew to London this week in order conduct talks over his client's future and speed up a prospective return to Deportivo. Upon arrival, he told PA Sport: "I'm here to see the Emirates Cup and to be with Lucas. We have talked to everyone. 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?"

IBTimes UK revealed last week that Deportivo had made a €10m bid to bring Perez back to the Estadio Municipal de Riazor, but were still awaiting a response from Arsenal. Lovelle has since confirmed those initial reports, claiming that the offer 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 said. "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 fulfill. We have seen that every time he played he did well, but after every time he got fewer and fewer opportunities."