‘Home’ - Former Newcastle United 45 Premier League goal forward finds new club following release

Last month, Perez was released by Leicester City following their relegation to the Championship, four years after the Spaniard completed a £30million move from Newcastle to the King Power.

The 29-year-old forward spent the second half of the 2022-23 campaign on loan at La Liga side Real Betis, where he scored four times in 21 appearances. And he has now signed permanently for the club.

Following the confirmation of his new ‘home’, Perez took to social media to post (translated from Spanish): “Very happy to sign again in @RealBetis!

“ After these last 6 months here, I feel at home... I’m looking forward to the start of the season! Thanks for the love!”

Perez made 114 appearances for Leicester after leaving Newcastle in 2019. He scored a hat-trick in the record 9-0 win at Southampton in what were his first goals for the club but he only managed a further nine in the Premier League afterwards.

Perez is also the most recent Newcastle player to score a Premier League hat-trick, doing so also against Southampton in 2019. He scored 48 goals in 195 appearances in all competitions for Newcastle after arriving at the club as a 20-year-old in 2014.

The former free agent scored 45 Premier League goals in 223 appearances. And following his release from Leicester, Newcastle fans responded to The Gazette’s question asking if they would take Perez back on a free transfer.

The overwhelming response was no with Newcastle still looking for attacking reinforcements.