Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero has announced that Lucas Torreira is set to depart from the club in a €30 million deal, with Arsenal signing him
In an interview with TuttoMercatoWeb, Sampdoria president has revealed that Lucas Torreira has left the club in a €30 million deal, paving the way for Arsenal to sign the Uruguayan midfielder in the summer transfer window, although he didn’t reveal his next club.
Torreira left his homeland Uruguay at an early age, joining Italian outfit Pescara in 2014 as an 18-year-old. But, it is at Sampdoria, who initially signed him on loan in the summer of 2015 before making the deal permanent a year later, where the young midfielder has made his mark.
In three seasons with the Genovese club, Torreira made 74 appearances, with most of his outings coming in the recently concluded 2017-18 season, when he became an indispensable figure in the first-team setup. His advent has not gone unnoticed, with Arsenal reportedly in his pursuit for several weeks now.
The Gunners are in the midst of a summer squad restructuring after finishing outside the top four in the Premier League for the second successive season. The underwhelming campaign resulted in Arsene Wenger calling it quits after serving as the Arsenal boss for more than two decades.
With Unai Emery now at the helm at the Emirates, Raul Sanllehi and Sven Mislintat have gone into an overdrive to make timely recruitments ahead of the pre-season. Arsenal have already signed Stephan Lichtsteiner, while Bernd Leno’s transfer was confirmed this week as well.
Soon after Leno’s transfer was confirmed by both Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen, reputed journalist Fabrizio Romano claimed that Torreira would be the third summer arrival at the Emirates. The same has now been, partly, confirmed by Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero, who announced that a €30 million deal has been agreed over his transfer.
“La Samp does not sell unless there are excellent offers. We do not look for buyers. We have natural talents whose value increases exponentially. Torreira has left for €30 million. I bought him from Pescara when no one believed in him. We bet on him and we won, paying just €3 million. The money that comes in will be used to capitalise the company.”
and soon Torreira… ??? #AFC #transfers
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 19, 2018
Although Ferrero did not reveal the club he has joined, it has been widely reported that Arsenal are the only suitors in his pursuit and have agreed to pay well over his €22 million release clause, albeit in installments.
And, his addition would certainly be a welcome one, with the Gunners lacking an out and out defensive midfielder, with Mohamed Elneny not considered first-choice material. With Jack Wilshere set to leave the club after a 17-year stint, Arsenal were in need of bolstering their midfield anyway.
All that now remains is for Arsenal to confirm the signing, which will likely happen after Torreira and Uruguay are done at the World Cup. But, Unai Emery’s busy summer continues, with the addition of an exciting young midfield talent.
