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Deportivo La Coruna and Arsenal are trying to find imaginative ways to bridge the gap between the Gunners’ asking price for Lucas Perez and what Depor don’t want to go beyond.

Arsenal want €15m, which seems a pretty reasonable amount, but with Perez so fixated on a return to Depor, the options are limited. The Galicia club don’t want to pay more than €12m, and that leaves a gap of €3m.

The time and effort being put into this by Arsenal, in a situation which has dragged on for months, shows a remarkable amount of patience and a real effort to try and help Perez get the move he wants.

That of course goes against much of what has been said by the player’s agent Rodrigo Fernandez Lovelle, who spent yesterday in talks with Arsenal’s Dick Law.

On Thursday La Voz de Galicia explained a loan, with lots of clauses, is a possibility, and in their Friday edition the Galician newspaper go over it again. A loan would be the preferred option for Depor, either with an optional or compulsory buying clause.

It would surely have to be compulsory, and surely at something near to €15m, or with a loan fee that makes a total deal worth that much.

More talks are expected today, and whilst La Voz de Galicia are confident Arsenal will agree a deal, it’s getting to the stage that the club’s patience must be being tested.