Ayoze Perez reveals why he wanted to leave Newcastle United for Leicester City

The 25-year-old’s departure from St James’s Park was confirmed on Thursday after the Foxes triggered a release clause in his contract.

And Perez, having signed a four-year deal at the King Power Stadium, has revealed why he wanted to leave the Magpies to join their Premier League rivals.

He insists that their ambition – coupled with the impact of manager Brendan Rodgers – saw him decide the move to the Midlands was the right one.

“I’m very happy and very pleased,” said Pérez, speaking to Leicester’s website.

“I’m very proud to be part of the Leicester family and I can’t wait to get started.

“[I like] the ambition of the Club. They want to keep growing as much as they can and that’s something I liked.

“I spoke with the manager (Brendan Rodgers) – that was an important fact. That made me feel very comfortable about the decision to come here.

“He’s such a great manager. We all know what we can do playing under him.

“Obviously, he’s been a big part of the deal, to make the decision, and in this case, to come to Leicester.”

Perez netted 13 times last season for Newcastle, but had been non-committal over his future after spending five years on Tyneside.

And now, following the departure of manager Rafa Benitez, he has elected to make the move to the Foxes.