Arsenal Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Andrea Belotti and Lucas Perez

Arsenal will reportedly battle Chelsea for the signing of £85 million Torino striker Andrea Belotti this summer, with the two London clubs labelled front-runners for his signature. Elsewhere, Lucas Perez is rumoured to be on his way back to La Liga.

The Sun's Mike McGrath reported the Gunners will contend for one of Serie A's hottest attacking talents after missing out on a deal in January, while Chelsea are thought to be prioritising Everton talisman Romelu Lukaku.

That diversion could help manager Arsene Wenger's side steal a march in the hunt for Belotti's services, and Sunday's FA Cup final win over the Blues may lend its hand in helping sway the Turin marvel toward north London.

Belotti has scored 27 goals in all competitions this season—25 of those coming in Serie A—and Squawka recently attested to Il Gallo—"The Rooster"—as being one of the most capable scoring forces on the continent:

The Italy frontman is under contract in Turin until 2021, however, giving his current employers room to manoeuvre in a transfer window where they boast one of the most coveted finishers in Europe.

Arsenal know the gargantuan price they'll have to fork out in order to bring Belotti to the Emirates Stadium, however, with Torino unlikely to settle for anything less than his release clause, per Di Marzio's David Amoyal:

This season saw contract rebel Alexis Sanchez occupy Arsenal's main striking berth for much of the campaign with Olivier Giroud his deputy for the most part, but Belotti would be a more natural fit following a breakthrough 2016-17 term.

However, the fact Arsenal won't be playing UEFA Champions League football next season works against Wenger's side, while other reported suitors, such as Chelsea and Manchester United, will feature in Europe's premier competition.

Meanwhile, Perez has sparked rumours of a return to former club Deportivo La Coruna after Adam Jones of Football.London reported on his recent Instagram story post, which saw him travelling back to his native Spain.

As noted by Jones, the visit may simply be to see family and friends in his native land, although the Press Association's Mark Mann-Bryans did attest to Perez's lack of Arsenal game time after he was an unused substitute in Sunday's FA Cup triumph:

Spanish newspaper AS reported on the increasing chance of Perez leaving Arsenal after an unremarkable first term in England, with comments from Wenger, who went so far as to say he felt "a bit sorry" for the striker.

The 28-year-old made nine first-team starts for Arsenal in 2016-17 but enjoyed the most prolific spell of his career in his two years at Depor, scoring 24 times in 59 games for the club. 

It's too early to tell if his social media activity is a hint at his transfer future, but Perez's departure could open the door for Arsenal to make a signing with more first-team prospects this summer.