Arsenal attempted to sign me in January – Lucas Perez

New signing Lucas Perez has revealed that Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger made an effort to buy him in the January transfer window.

The 27-year-old moved to the Emirates Stadium the day before deadline day from Deportivo La Coruna in a deal worth £17million.

Wenger had come under a lot of pressure during the summer as it appeared he wouldn’t land any of his targets. However, the Perez signing, along with a swoop for Valencia defender Shkodran Mustafi will have done something to appease fans.

Perez, who scored 18 goals last season in La Liga, signed for the Gunners after the club failed to wrap up deals for Jamie Vardy and Alexandre Lacazette over the summer.

But the Spaniard has admitted that Wenger showed an interest in him back in the January transfer window.

“The Arsenal offer came just days before the end of the transfer window.

“But I knew about the interest of Arsenal for a long time. They showed interest in me during the January transfer window but then I couldn’t leave.

“They also showed interest in me after the end of La Liga. But then, they have their way of working and the offer came only days before the end of the market.”