Lucas Torreira has admitted that he is desperate to quit Arsenal this summer for the sake of his father.
ESPN reported in midweek that the Uruguay international is on Boca Juniors’ radar ahead of the upcoming transfer window.
It has been an awful week for the 24-year-old, who joined Arsenal for £26 million in the summer of 2018 under Unai Emery.
Torreira’s mother passed away earlier in the week and in a heartbreaking interview with ESPN, the midfielder, who’s on loan at Atletico Madrid, has revealed that he’s ‘dying’ to return to South America to represent his boyhood club – and, more importantly, to be closer to his dad.
He said: “It’s not violent emotion or a crazy decision for my mother. I’ve always said that I wanted to play for Boca. I’m dying to play for Boca and I’ve always said it. If not now, in June. The night my mother died one of the first to receive the news was my agent. I don’t want to play in Europe anymore, I want to play for Boca.
“My contract is with Arsenal and I’m on loan at Atleti but I want to go to Boca. I hope that the clubs agree. I haven’t had a good time personally for two years, without continuity. Arsenal hurt me and Atletico don’t play me as I want. I just want to play for Boca. I’ve already made the decision. I’m doing it for my old man.”
It’s been clear for a while that there’s no place at Arsenal for Torreira and hopefully Edu and Mikel Arteta can arrange his move to Argentina during the summer.
Despite a brilliant first season at the Emirates Stadium, the former Sampdoria powerhouse has progressively gone backwards and found himself as a bit-part player once Arteta took over from Unai Emery in December of 2019.
Still, he’s certainly a talented footballer and Arsenal fans, knowing his reasons, certainly wouldn’t begrudge him a return to his home continent.
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