Just a few days before the start of the World Cup news broke that Arsenal have reached an agreement with Sampdoria to sign highly rated defensive midfielder Lucas Torreira from the Serie A club side.
Napoli were also said to be interested but the Gunners moved quickly, agreed to pay more than his reported release clause.
Although the deal was agreed between the two clubs, the North London club decided to wait till Torreira finished his assignment with the national team at the World Cup.
This lead to some anxiety among Arsenal fans(myself included) who feared the deal may be hijacked by other clubs if Arsenal do not move quickly. Now it appears the wait is over. This is as various reports from South America today seems to be confirming the player is on his way to London to undergo a medical with Arsenal.
The player is now on his way to England to undergo a medical with Arsenal. This was confirmed by an Uruguayan journalist. Here is the tweet:
El volante @LTorreira34 viaja a Moscú y luego a Londres para realizar el examen médico con el @Arsenal y firmar su contrato. A mitad de semana regresa a Uruguay. pic.twitter.com/p5urLiXO09
— BUYSAN (@Buysan) July 7, 2018
The tweet translated to: “The midfielder Torreita travels to Moscow and then to London to perform the medical examination with arsenal and sign his contract. Halfway through the week, he returns to Uruguay.”
Only yesterday BBC journalist David Ornstein confirmed the player is on the verge of signing for Arsenal after the Gunners reportedly reach an agreement with his current club Sampdoria.
The Mirror reported recently that a £26m fee has already been agreed with Sampdoria and a four-year contract has also been settled.
In the three World Cup matches where he started, he has impressed a lot with his ball-winning ability as well as the way he can pick out a pass. From the looks of it, he will fit right into the Arsenal team as a midfield trio of Xhaka, Torreira and Ramsey is a frightening prospect.
Now, all that remains is for the move to be made official and for the player to arrive in London. Based on his performances at the World Cup, it is safe to say that Arsenal fans will have high hopes for Torreira. And with the way the new set up is working, everything seems to be in place for him to be a success.