Turkish giants Galatasaray have joined the chase to sign Lucas Perez, who became frustrated with his lack of playing time at Arsenal last season.

The Spanish attacker joined the Gunners from Deportivo La Coruna last term with a view to earning further recognition in the Premier League.

However, his decision may have not been the right one after he was restricted to just two league starts through the campaign while injuries affected his chances of making amends in the Cup and European competitions. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted that he feels sorry for Perez’s lack of playing time, but the Spaniard looks decided on pursuing a fresh challenge this summer.

Spanish outlet AS suggests that the 28-year-old is attracting Turkish interest with Galatasaray and rivals Fenerbahce both keen on pursuing his signature. However, the deal is unlikely to be straight forward with the forward angling towards a move to La Liga where he bagged 17 goals for Deportivo during the 2015/16 season.

Valencia and Deportivo are leading the player’s pursuit from his home nation as he attempts to revive his old form in order to push for a maiden cap with Spain ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Galatasaray have previously ,attracted Lukas Podolski from the riches at the Emirates, but they are hoping to use their close links in order to sanction a potential deal for his services.

Despite his reduced game time, Perez did make a mark during his first English season as he bagged a brilliant hat-trick during the Gunners’ 4-1 win over Basel in the Champions League group stage back in December last year. Arsenal paid a sum of around £17.3m in order to lure him from A Coruna last summer, and they are unlikely to take anything less, should the player decide to end his association with the north London club.