Sampdoria’s midfielder, Lucas Torreira, has said he doesn’t know if he’s going to Arsenal despite the media being convinced the deal is all but done.
The 22-year-old midfielder has been heavily linked with Arsenal this summer and in some quarters the move has already been hailed as a done deal.
Even the president of Sampdoria has said he’s off. Torreira, who is with his country at the World Cup, doesn’t seem quite so convinced.
“I do not know if I’m going to go there … At the moment, playing for my country is the most important thing”, Torreira said during a press conference.
“Arsenal have a good team and are one of the most important clubs in the world, but right now I’m fully focused on playing for my country.”
On Italian TV on Tuesday night, Sampdoria’s president, Massimo Ferrero, let slip that Torreira will be joining Arsenal for €30m despite his release clause only being €26m.
“Sampdoria do not sell unless there are excellent offers,” Ferrero said. “We do not look for buyers. We have natural talents whose values increase exponentially.
“Generally, we do not make changes. Sampdoria is a stepping stone. It’s a family-run club and that allows players to grow up. It’s normal they have aspirations to play for big clubs, but I do not need to sell out.
“Torreira has left for €30million. I bought him from Pescara when no one believed. We bet and we won, paying just €3million. The money that comes in, is used to keep the club going.”
Just a few days ago it was reported that Arsenal’s medical staff were travelling to Russia in order to complete his medical. Arsenal want to get the deal done as soon as possible before Torreira has any chance of increasing his market value at the tournament.
Torreira is expected to join Arsenal on a five-year deal worth £2.6m-a-year to the player. Arsenal will pay Sampdoria £26.1m for the 22-year-old, exceeding his buyout clause in order to see off Napoli.
In addition to his release clause, Torreira also had another four years to run on his Samp contract.
Pescara will receive €1m from the sale, thanks to a sell-on clause in the midfielder’s Sampdoria contract. According to TuttoPescaraCalcio they had a 20% sell-on clause, with a maximum of €1m.