Lucas Torreira’s father has once again admitted the player was close to signing for Napoli before he ended up at Arsenal saying ‘something very strange happened’ and then claiming the player could return to Italy ‘in the future’.

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 08:  Lucas Torreira of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Huddersfield Town at Emirates Stadium on December 8, 2018 in London, United Kingdom.  (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 08: Lucas Torreira of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Huddersfield Town at Emirates Stadium on December 8, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

At the time of the transfer, the player was reportedly in talks with both Arsenal and Napoli. The Italians were then said to have been put off by his wages, a common complaint when a club doesn’t land a player they want.

Speaking to Calciomercato, Torreira’s father has once again returned to the subject, saying, “Lucas was close to Napoli – he said to ‘Si gonfia la rete’ on the microphones – but something very strange happened. In the transfer market, the situations can change in every moment.

“Negotiations are complicated and it may happen that the epilogue is different from the one originally set. He had the opportunity to go to England and took advantage of it. Now he is doing well at Arsenal but in the future, he will perhaps return to Italian football, to which he has remained very close. Maybe he will return to a club like Napoli or some other team that will call him.”

Torreira signed for Arsenal in the summer for a fee of £27m. He is under contract until 2023.