Arsenal are reportedly on the brink of completing a deal for Sampdoria’s Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torreira, as the Italian club sign a replacement.
Arsenal are understood to be closing on another transfer, as they are poised to strike an agreement with Serie A side Sampdoria for the transfer of midfielder Lucas Torreira, according to reports from The Sun.
The Gunners have been busy in the transfer market in the off-season and have already managed to sign experienced right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner from Juventus following his contract expiry and have also added promising young talent Yacine Adli from Paris Saint-Germain.
Arsenal are also understood to have completed a deal for Greek centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Borussia Dortmund, but are yet to officially announce the transfer. A deal for Turkish defender Caglar Soyuncu is also reported to be in the works. And now, a move for Torreira is understood to be imminent.
Torreira left his homeland of Uruguay to join Italian club Pescara in January 2014 and moved to Sampdoria on loan in the summer of 2015, before making the move a permanent one the subsequent year.
The defensive midfielder has gone on to appear 74 times for the club, scoring and assisting four goals each during that time. In the 2017-18 season, the 22-year old featured 36 times for the Blucerchiati in the Serie A, as they finished 10th on the table.
Torreira is a full international with the Uruguayan national team and has gone on to make 3 appearances for La Celeste till date. The midfielder is currently in Russia, having been picked for the 2018 FIFA World Cup squad by Uruguay manager Oscar Tabarez.
Arsenal finished the 2017-18 campaign in sixth place in the Premier League and missed out on qualification for the UEFA Champions League, meaning they will be plying their trade in the Europa League for the second season running.
New manager Unai Emery is understood to be keen on strengthening his midfield department ahead of the next season, as he looks to guide the Gunners back to the top of the pile in England. There are also concerns about the Arsenal future of midfield mainstay Aaron Ramsey.
The Welshman’s current contract runs out in a year and with reported interest from Barcelona, the Gunners are fearing another Alexis Sanchez-like situation that ensued last season. As a result, Arsenal are keen on bolstering their midfield options, in case it comes down to Ramsey leaving the club.
The 22-year old has a contract with Sampdoria that runs till the summer of 2022, and Arsenal are understood to have agreed to meet his £22 million release clause to get the deal over the line. Sampdoria are resigned to the fact that they will be losing their prized asset this summer and are have reportedly secured the signing of Serbian midfielder Lovro Majer as a direct replacement for Torreira.
An intelligent ball-winning midfielder with solid distribution skills, the Uruguayan international has the potential to be a great addition to this Arsenal side. And considering he is just 22 years old, he will only continue to improve from here on.
