Arsenal’s forgotten man, Lucas Torreira, is now an important part of Fiorentina and reports now suggest that both clubs will be meeting in the coming weeks to make the Uruguayan’s loan move permanent.
Fiorentina snapped up Lucas Torreira on loan from Arsenal in the summer after the diminutive midfielder spent last season on loan at Atlético de Madrid where he won the LaLiga title.
The 25-year-old has only missed four of 17 Serie A games for La Viola this season due to technical decisions but has been immense for the Serie A club in the 13 games he has played so far.
According to Il Corriere Fiorentino, Fiorentina have now decided to make the loan move for the former Sampdoria midfielder – which was agreed with an option to buy clause inserted – a permanent one.
The deal will cost La Viola €15 million to execute, with the club’s hierarchy moving to begin talks immediately thanks to a push from manager Vincenzo Italiano.
Made for the Serie A
Arsenal signed the diminutive midfielder from Sampdoria in July 2018 for an undisclosed fee after the midfielder impressed with Sampdoria.
Unai Emery, Arsenal’s manager at the time, fielded the 25-year-old quite often and he impressed the Premier League, even drawing comparisons with N’Golo Kante.
He looked destined for big things but Mikel Arteta’s appointment following Emery’s sack saw his stock drop considerably until he became surplus to requirements at Arsenal.
The club used him as a bargaining chip to bring Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey from Atlético de Madrid to the Emirates last season, but the Uruguayan only played a handful of games at the Wanda Metropolitano.
He left the Spanish club a league champion but was still considered surplus to requirements at Arsenal, until Fiorentina offered him the option to recalibrate his career.
Torreira, who has spent the most part of his career in Italy since leaving Uruguay at 16 years old, is back to his best and the Gunners are happy to cash in on the player.
The €15 million deal will be a loss for the Gunners who were rumoured to have spent in excess of €30 million to snap up the midfielder from Sampdoria, however.
Relationship between Fiorentina and Lucas excellent, says Torreira’s father
Riccardo Torreira, Lucas Torreira’s father, has dropped the biggest hint on the midfielder’s move back to Serie A with Fiorentina.
Riccardo spoke on the matter in an interview with Radio Bruno where he stated that the relationship between the midfielder and the Serie A side is “excellent”.
“We are not surprised by his form at Fiorentina because he is a boy who likes to play,” Riccardo told Radio Bruno.
“Although in some clubs he did not have minutes, this depends on the manager. Not all managers are the same.
“In the past, others have given him the opportunity to prove that he is an excellent player. That’s why he plays in Italy right now.
“He is very happy. He lives in a beautiful house, lives in the city.
“I want him to be happy in everything he does. If Fiorentina wants to buy him, it will be up to Lucas to decide.
“We support him in every decision he makes. It will always depend on the affection of the people, on his performances, on the opportunities that will be granted to him.
“I repeat: it depends on the relationship between Fiorentina and Lucas, which at the moment is excellent.”