Fiorentina want to sign Lucas Torreira on loan with an obligation to buy next summer for a total of €26.5m, according to reports in Italy while Torreira’s agent wants Mikel Arteta to make a decision.
Italian outlet La Stampa write in their print edition (via ViolaNews) that Fiorentina are offering €8.5m as a one-year loan fee for Lucas Torreira, with an €18m obligation to buy next summer.
We covered reports from Di Marzio earlier this week that Fiorentina are ‘insisting’ on signing Torreira this summer. They are already in contact with Arsenal and pushing to conclude a transfer.
However, other recent reports from Italy suggest Arsenal want €30m. Fiorentina weren’t willing to pay that kind of money, though it appears they’re more open to the possibility of a loan with an obligation for a similar fee.
Arsenal could probably push the Serie A side a bit further to get to the €30m mark, but it’s not a bad fee for the 24-year-old. He’s clearly not first choice in the current midfield, and this isn’t a great market for selling clubs.
The only question is whether Arsenal are willing to defer the bulk of the payment from Fiorentina. The Gunners really need money for midfield signings this summer, so only receiving €8.5m upfront makes things tricky.
There are plenty of other clubs watching Torreira, with AS Roma, AC Milan, Napoli, Torino and Lazio all reportedly in the mix. It’s worth trying to find out if any of them will beat Fiorentina’s offer before committing.
Torreira’s agent, however, says that there haven’t been any formal requests for the player but has called on Mikel Arteta to make a decision over the player.
“There are many requests, but still nothing official,” Pablo Bentancur told CalcioMercato. I have received many inquiries, but we have nothing written on the table.
“The player is training with Arsenal, he is their property, and is one of the few cases of athletes coming to England and playing 50 games in a row.
“After he had a bad injury, he didn’t have to undergo surgery but the return was a bit complicated.
“The coach has to make a technical choice and he has to decide if he really needs Torreira or not, but all the stories in the press are more about publicity than reality.”