Fiorentina are ‘delighted’ with Lucas Torreira and will open talks to sign Arsenal’s Premier League misfit in the spring, the Serie A club’s director Daniele Prade tells Tuttomercatoweb.
While Torreira did not, as many had hoped, become the long-term solution to Arsenal’s midfield problems, the £26 million Uruguay international could still come in very handy to Mikel Arteta in the near future.
The Gunners are just one of a who’s who of European giants looking to lure Dusan Vlahovic, arguably the most coveted striker on the continent, away from the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
And Arsenal may have a 5ft 6ins ace up their sleeve.
Offering Torreira as part of player-plus-cash deal may not only give them an advantage over the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, it would also help drive down Vlahovic’s eye-watering price-tag.
Regardless of whether Vlahovic arrives at the Emirates, however, Torreira is expected to turn his season-long loan into a permanent transfer sooner rather than later.
Has Lucas Torreira played his last game for Arsenal?
“You know my thoughts very well,” explains Prade, adding that a deal is far more likely to ocurr in June than January.
“We are delighted with Lucas but we cannot yet talk about redemption. We will speak in March or April with Arsenal, a club with whom we have a great relationship.”
Torreira’s father admitted before Christmas that the one-time Sampdoria snapper was ‘very happy’ in Italy, suggesting that an agreement over a long-term contract with La Viola would be a formality.
The 26-year-old is one of a number of players facing an uncertain future at the Emirates.
Mohamed Elneny is expected to depart when his contract expires in a few months’ time, while Sead Kolasinac, Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Eddie Nketiah could go too.
Premier League rivals Everton, meanwhile, are lining up a potential double-deal for seldom-seen duo Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Calum Chambers.
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