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Arsenal chiefs in Spain wrapping-up £17m signing [Telegraph]

By on August 25, 2016

It looks like we’re set to get our striker as the Telegraph are one of several media outlet claiming Arsenal are in advanced talks to sign Deportivo la Coruna striker Lucas Perez in a £17m deal.

News broke on Wednesday night that Arsenal had made a move to hijack Everton’s proposed deal to sign the hitman and the Telegraph suggest that Gunners officials are in Spain as we speak wrapping-up the deal.

It’s understood the Toffees had everything in place and had even agreed personal terms but Arsenal swooped in yesterday and gazumped the Merseysiders after agreeing to meet the 27-year-old’s £17m buyout clause.

It appears Lucas has oped for a move to the Emirates as Marca claim that Valencia enquired about the striker last night and were told he was joining Arsenal and the Spanish outlet suggest the deal will be announced before Friday.

Arsene Wenger has been desperate to sign a striker all summer and has been frustrated in his attempts to sign a number of targets, but it looks like we’re going to end up with the ‘Spanish Vardy’.

Like Vardy, Lucas has been a bit of a late bloomer and has just come off the back of his best ever campaign having provided 19 goals and 11 assist last year – and that was in a team who just survived relegation from La Liga.

Lucas is 27 and is a pacey, busy striker who likes to run in to space but can also play out on the wing and is a very good finisher. At £17m, he will also be a similar price to what Vardy would have cost us so you can see why Arsene has gone for him.

Of course he’s not the marquee striker we all want but the fact is the likes of Griezmann or Lewandowski are practically impossible to buy and with non-elite strikers like Lacazette valued at crazy money, I don’t blame Wenger for making a very shrewd move for Lucas.

MORE: Arsene ‘approves’ £51m deal to sign world class attacker

£17m is a snip in today’s market and it will leave us plenty of money left over. Who knows, maybe Wenger will also go for a big-name winger like Draxler, Rodriguez or Isco over the next week as well as a centre-back?

If Valencia refuse to lower their asking price for Mustafi and we end up buying a cheaper defender at around £15m, then we’d certainly have enough money left over to spend £40m on Draxler.  Xhaka, Holding, Lucas, Draxler and a £15m centre-back would be a very good window if you ask me.