Leicester target Lucas Perez as reports in Spain claim that Foxes will clinch £12.5m deal for Deportivo striker by end of the week
LEICESTER are close to landing Spanish striker Lucas Perez in a £12.5million deal.
The Foxes have been keeping a close eye on the Deportivo La Coruna ace all summer and now, according to reports in Spain, they are close to clinching his signature.
The 27-year-old shot to prominence in Spain last year after having a similar season to Foxes hero Jamie Vardy, netting 17 goals in what turned out to be over a third of the Liga outfit’s entire tally.
Claudio Ranieri is not short of strikers, with Vardy partnered by Shinji Okazaki in yesterday’s Community Shield defeat to Manchester United, and record signing Ahmed Musa and Leonardo Ulloa – who could be set to leave – also in their ranks.
Barcelona-based sources reckons that a deal could be sealed this week, with the player set to quadruple his wages.
The Foxes were keen to do a deal earlier this summer but Deportivo have driven a hard bargain, with their man’s deal not set to expire until 2019.
Lucas started out with Atletico Madrid’s C team before making a move to Rayo Vallecano.
He hit 25 goals in 44 games for their B team but failed to make the cut in their first XI.
He then headed to Ukraine for a stint with Karpaty Lviv, before he moved to PAOK in Greece.
After 32 games and nine goals in his first season, he was then loaned to Deportivo two seasons ago – earning himself a permanent deal after six goals in 21 games.
In Vardy-esque fashion he then fired in 17 times last season.