Newcastle forward Ayoze Perez has ruled out a move away from Newcastle United and say he wants to return to the Premier League with the Magpies.

The Spaniard was linked with a move to Barcelona in the summer before the La Liga champions signed Paco Alcacer from Valencia but Perez told Eldorsal.com that he had no intention of leaving Tyneside:

“The fans have always been very close, they always appreciated me staying. Despite the interest in signing me that there has been from great clubs, I have a debt to the fans, I want to return to the Premier League with Newcastle.”

Perez also credited manager Rafa Benitez for persuading him to remain at Newcastle. The Spanish manager also opted to stay at St James’ Park this summer, and Perez says that speaking the same language as his boss as well as liking his managerial style helped him make up his mind about his future:

“His opinion had much influence [on me staying]. He is a great manager and it also influenced me a lot that he speaks the same language. His methodology is to my liking and I decided to meet with him this challenge [of getting promoted].”

Perez has so far appeared in all but one of Newcastle’s Championship matches this season, scoring one goal in eight appearances. He was however left on the bench for the 1-1 draw against Aston Villa at the weekend.