Everything We Know About Newcastle's First Summer Signing Ayoze Perez
Anticipation is the scent lingering in the air on Tyneside today as Newcastle edge ever closer to finalising their first summer signing.
Ayoze Perez is the name on the lips of every Magpies fan after the Chronicle revealed that the Club are close to agreeing terms with the Tenerife striker and their Spanish source confirmed that the deal is "as good as done".
But what exactly do we know about Perez beyond what we've ascertained from YouTube clubs showing us a nimble-footed attacker with an acute eye and socks pulled over his knees?
The 20-year-old was born and bred in Santa Cruz, joint capital of Canary Islands with Las Palmas, and debuted for his hometown club in the 'B' team in the 2012/13 campaign. Five goals in 18 games soon saw him elevated to Tenerife's first-team and he's never looked back since.
An impressive return of 16 goals from 33 appearances this term is the most by a Blanquiazules player in over a quarter of a century and has captured the attention of our Premier League neighbours Arsenal, Everton, Manchester City and Swansea along with European giants Porto and Valencia of his native Spain.
Real Madrid have even been credited with an interest after he scored against their reserve side earlier this season
Classed as one of the brightest talents to come out of Tenerife in 30 years, Perez is adept at playing out wide or through the middle as a traditional striker and could arrive on Tyneside for as little as £2 million.
Newcastle remain tight-lipped about the deal and we hope the Club can secure the services of this exciting talent.