Arsenal are still in negotiations to sign Lucas Torreira but due to their limited transfer budget this summer, they need to arrange an instalment plan with Sampdoria.

Di Marzio originally broke the news that negotiations had begun to sign the defensive midfielder.

At the time, they wrote that there was still no agreement, thanks to the agent’s demands who asked for more time to make a decision.

That decision is expected by June 15th.

Following that story, SampNews24 wrote that an agreement with Sampdoria is ‘already there’, and Arsenal are willing to pay Torreira’s release clause ‘immediately’.

However, they also corroborated Di Marzio’s claim that agent fees are getting in the way.

Partenopei.net then wrote that the Uruguayan ‘prefers a move to England’, and Napoli, Arsenal’s main competition for the player’s signature, are starting to turn their attentions to Celta midfielder Stanislav Lobotka instead. This information was 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.

It’s definitely in Arsenal’s interest to get a deal done before the World Cup.

Torreira is heading to the tournament with Uruguay, and we all know how good performances on such a big stage can increase competition for a player’s signature ten-fold.

Thankfully, it seems his agent is planning to make a decision sometime this week.

Torreira had an excellent season in midfield for Sampdoria. Although he only managed five goal contributions in 38 appearances, scoring and creating is not his job and it’s everything else that he does which catches the eye.

He’s incredibly solid defensively, constantly making interceptions, tackles and blocks. He can take a good set-piece, play a pass, and rarely loses his concentration. He does have a tendency to take a long shot or two, like Granit Xhaka, but, unlike the Swiss man, he’s fairly accurate when he does.

Torreira also wins free kicks regularly.