Lucas Torreira is slowly edging closer to an Arsenal move, according to various reports on the situation in the last 24 hours.

The 22-year-old Sampdoria midfielder is seemingly a target of two clubs at this stage, Arsenal and Napoli. However, reports suggest the Gunners are starting to get an edge over the Italian side.

Partenopei.net write that the Uruguayan ‘prefers a move to England’, and Napoli are starting to turn their attentions to Celta midfielder Stanislav Lobotka instead. This information is corroborated by AlfredoPedulla.com.

Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Sunday that Napoli were put off by Torreira’s demands. The midfielder apparently wants €3.5m net per season. Ilmionapoli.it say the Italian club don’t want to match those demands.

Meanwhile, Chris Davison spoke to Italian football journalist John Solano about the situation. Solano told him he knows the agent that brought Torreira to Italy, and believes the midfielder’s future lies abroad.

Overall Arsenal should be in the driving seat at this stage. They’re willing to pay his release clause, wages shouldn’t be an issue, he seemingly wants to come to England, and the team could really benefit from his presence.

There’s still the stumbling block of agent fees, but hopefully that’s just a formality. Then again, with Arsenal, you never know.