Former West Ham United forward Lucas Perez is a priority transfer target for Barcelona, according to AS.

The Spaniard currently has a release clause of €25m (£21m) at Alaves, and his club are not willing to accept anything below that, due to the fact that they see him as a key player.

This follows on from what has been a successful season for him so far, getting nine goals and four assists in 17 La Liga starts and five substitute appearances.

In addition to that, he has been effective in his general play, averaging 1.6 key passes and 0.8 dribbles per game.

That is a far cry from his time at London Stadium last term, before moving back to his homeland, as he failed to get any real game time of substance.

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The now-31-year-old was afforded just four starts and 11 substitute appearances in the Premier League under Manuel Pellegrini, but did manage three goals in that time.

He truly struggled to make any real impact for the Hammers though, managing just 0.5 key passes and 0.3 dribbles.

Perez's transformation in the short time since he left, which could see him end up at the prestigious Camp Nou, has been rapid.

With that in mind, it could be argued that West Ham are responsible for his failure to adapt to the Premier League, rather than being solely due to the player himself.

When looking at his time at the Hammers, it seems as though he simply didn't suit the team's style, which was a participating factor in the Spaniard not getting a look in.

West Ham United's scouting network was questioned by The Athletic, and it can be said that the lack of personnel and attention to detail in this aspect of the club has made its mark on the pitch.

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Perez is not the only example of this, as the issue under David Gold and Sullivan and Karren Brady can also be seen in Pablo Fornals, who was signed in the summer, with there seemingly being no place for him in the team.

It took the 23-year-old 13 appearances to get his first Premier League goal contribution, which offers an indication of how long it took him to settle in.

To accentuate the point of having a lack of direction, since David Moyes joined Fornals has played more than 45 minutes of football just twice from a possible six games with no goals or assists, having recorded one and three in the previous six.

This indicates that there is a definite issue facing the Hammers, meaning Perez's situation won't be an anomaly.

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