"If Espanyol needs me, I will stay," says Wu Lei

MADRID - Barcelona-based outfit striker Wu Lei said during a recent interview that he has no plans to depart Espanyol and will stay with the club as long as it needs him.

On June 13, Wu Lei was back in action with a goal as Espanyol beat Alaves 2-0 in their return to La Liga action after an enforced break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chinese striker tested positive for COVID-19 at the end of March, but showed no ill effects as he produced arguably his most effective game for Espanyol. Were it not for the heroic efforts of Alaves' substitute keeper Roberto Jimenez, Wu would have padded the scoreline even more at the start of the second half.

Since then, Espanyol drew Getafe and were dealt a series of blows in the form of four defeats in a row. Espanyol now sit at the bottom of the league standings. If Celta beat Real Betis while Espanyol lose to Leganes in the ensuing 34th round, Espanyol will be relegated with four rounds to go.

"To avoid relegation, we have to give it all, which will put immense mental and physical pressure on us," said Wu.

Regarding his future, Wu said: "If Espanyol needs me, and I'm capable of making contributions to the team, I will choose to stay."

Wu joined Espanyol in January 2019. In 2019-2020 season, he found the net eight times, four in the league and four in the Copa del Rey and UEFA Europa League.