Report: Striker set for West Ham exit
The report claims the Spanish club have agreed to pay a €2.5m (£2.21m) transfer fee for Perez, who has scored six goals in 19 appearances for West Ham since joining from Arsenal in 2018. Personal terms are not expected to be a problem and the Spaniard will complete the move subject to passing a medical. West Ham have included a 30 per cent sell-on clause in the deal.
Perez joined West Ham on a three-year deal in 2018 costing them around £4m on wages of £75,000 per week but has struggled to secure a regular first-team place at the London Stadium, with Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez largely preferred up front by Manuel Pellegrini. The 30-year-old is now set for a return to Spain with Alaves, who finished 11th in La Liga last season.
Claret and Hugh opinion:
Some will argue that Lucas Perez was never given a proper chance by Manuel Pellegrini and there were previous reports of a fall out with the manager over his lack of effort in training. At one point he was sent to train with the under 23’s and dropped from the matchday squad. His goals per minutes on the pitch was better than the other strikers but West Ham let it known they wanted him off the wage bill this summer. £2.2m seems a nothing piece of business in today’s market but removing nearly £4m per year off the wage bill will be welcomed by the club.