Lucas Torreira is already in line for a return to Serie A just a few months after leaving Premier League leaders Arsenal to join Turkish giants Galatasaray, his agent tells Radio Sportiva.
Now, it is no secret that Galatasaray was not exactly Torreira’s first choice last summer.
The Uruguay international had his heart set on securing a permanent move to Fiorentina, following an impressive loan spell with La Viola in 2021/22. In fact, he only arrived in Istanbul during the final few weeks of the window, after talks with both Fiorentina and former employers Udinese fell through.
But according to Pablo Bentancur, Torreira’s representative, it is only a matter of time before the tough-tackling 26-year-old is thudding into opponents on Italian soil once again. His stay in the Turkish capital looks set to be little more than a flying visit.
Lucas Torreira left Arsenal in the summer and is already planning a Serie A return
“I’ve already spoken to a couple of teams. He wants to return to Italy in any way possible after a year at Galatasaray. One team is very interested. The other needs to see a little what they can do (whether a deal can be done),” Torreira’s representative admits.
“I don’t expect that a return for him will be very difficult.
“(Torreira) has a unique love for Italy and for Italian football. He has experience, and he’s a hard-to-find player in modern football.”
Arsenal accepted a knock-down bid of just £5 million from Galatasaray in August, despite heading into the window demanding around three times that amount. Time will tell if Galatasaray can earn any sort of profit on a player who spent a brief and unsuccessful stint with Atletico Madrid in 2020/21.
“For Torreira, Arsenal started off (demanding) 18 million euros. Sometimes, patience is needed,” explains the Turkish club’s deputy chairman Erden Timur (Haber Turk).
‘Galatasaray’s project ended up convincing me’
The 26-year-old has started each of Galatasaray’s last 11 Super Lig games; Okan Buruk’s side sitting just two points adrift of local rivals Fenerbahce at the top of the table.
“Their project ended up convincing me. And it’s very important for a player like me to continue having continuity, as I had last season,” Torreira explains.
“The call from Galatasaray came. (Gala and Uruguay team-mate) Fernando Muslera was very important for me when making this decision.
“I also knew little about the country. (The Turkish Super Lig) is totally different league. I really liked the way the Galatasaray people (tried to convince me to sign); the project, the call from the coach, and the leaders. All of that helped me make this decision.”
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