In-demand Newcastle attacker Ayoze Perez appears to be angling towards securing his exit from St James’ Park, having told the Shields Gazette: “it’s going to be a long summer”.
The Spaniard has been heavily linked with a number of sides since the transfer window opened, after hitting 13 goals and penning four assists in all competitions during the 2018/19 season.
He was clearly one of our most important players on route to a 13th place finish, especially evident by our run of results against Leicester City, Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion during April, where he scored all of our five goals.
How much longer he remains on Tyneside is a question we will soon find the answer to, but his latest comments do not offer much hope.
“It’s something that I cannot say right now,” Perez said, when asked if he had played his final game for United. “You cannot guarantee it.
“We’ll see. It’s going to be a long summer. Obviously, there’s going to be a day where you make a decision. It depends on many things.
“Let’s see what happens. Obviously, this place is always going to be in my heart, whatever happens. We’ll see what happens.”
Perez’s comments to the Shields Gazette come just days after he spoke with Spanish radio network Cope Radio, and suggested he would be ‘delighted’ at the chance to join Valencia, after it emerged the La Liga side had contacted InterLex Sport – the group who represent the Spaniard.
Before that, a report by Football.London claimed the 25-year-old would ‘jump at the chance’ of joining Arsenal, as part of a piece looking at the plethora of players the Gunners had been linked with.
Seemingly, then, Perez is angling towards securing a move away from St James’ Park this summer, even if he concedes his future is unclear.
“It’s been five unbelievable years, ups and downs, unforgettable moments, bad moments, but it’s part of the process that made me a better footballer and person,” he added.
“Obviously, it’s always going to be in my heart, whatever happens. This place, this city, this club – everything is going to be in my heart forever.”