Newcastle United reluctant to match Lucas Perez's valuation

Newly-promoted Newcastle United are reluctant to match Arsenal's asking price of £13.4m for Spanish winger Lucas Perez.

The 28-year-old has gone public to state that he was cheated by the north London club last season, and he is expected to pursue a fresh challenge this summer.

Former club Deportivo La Coruna have been touted as among the favourites to sign the attacker, but they have apparently baulked at the Gunners' valuation despite selling him for £4m more last year.

According to The London Evening Standard, the Magpies are not prepared to pay the Gunners' £13.4m asking price, and they would rather prefer a season-long loan for the Spaniard.

Perez is said to have the ambition to represent his country at next year's World Cup, but his chances look pretty slim following a tough debut season in English football.

The A Coruna-born star managed just 11 outings in the top-flight last season with nine of them coming from the substitutes' bench.

Perez currently has three years left on his existing Arsenal contract, and the club are likely to play hardball over his transfer fee as they don't want to take a hefty loss on his services.