West Ham are keen on losing Lucas Perez in the January transfer window, but only on a permanent deal, according to the Evening Standard.
The former Arsenal striker arrived in East London via a £4million transfer in August but has since struggled to find any kind of consistency in claret and blue.
Perez has netted four goals in 13 first team appearances, including a brace in the 3-1 home victory over Cardiff in December, but his failure to force his way in to Manuel Pellegrini’s regular first team XI means the club are willing to part ways with him already.
The report in the Evening Standard claims Real Betis are keen on a loan deal for Perez but West Ham are reportedly only interested in a permanent transfer, and that means they’re prepared to keep Perez in London until the summer if Betis or another suitor cannot provide an attractive enough offer for the striker.
Unless Pellegrini can work out how to buy luggage that can help carry us through to a top ten finish come the end of the season, it would be difficult to get behind Perez leaving before the summer.
Neither Andy Carroll or Javier Hernandez can be trusted with their fitness and even Marko Arnautovic has had his injury problems in recent months, meaning Perez remains an important squad player for the Hammers until a replacement can be secured.
