Lucas Torreira has joined Galatasaray from Arsenal on a permanent deal, leaving after two years in London and two years on loan.

Dries Mertens and Lucas Torreira arriving in Istanbul (Photo via WestObserver.com)
Dries Mertens and Lucas Torreira arriving in Istanbul (Photo via WestObserver.com)

Lucas Torreira has completed his move to Galatasaray today, joining the Super Lig club on a permanent transfer, Arsenal have confirmed.

Torreira reportedly completed his medical on Monday morning, ahead of a deal reportedly worth up to €7.5m but which is costing €6m initially:

Fabrizio Romano reported last week that Arsenal were set to receive €6-7m (£5-5.9m) from Galatasaray plus add-ons. That roughly tallies with other reports that the deal was worth £5m plus £2.5m in add-ons.

On Saturday, Galatasaray confirmed that they’d “started” negotiations with Torreira and Arsenal over the player’s transfer. Now, they’ve announced that the deal is done.

Torreira was caught on video arriving at the airport ahead of his transfer over the weekend, wearing a Galatasaray scarf.

Torreira had a year left on his Arsenal deal, and despite being called back for pre-season with the Gunners, he left the U.S. tour early to travel to Italy and didn’t play a game from then on.

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 02: Lucas Torreira of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his team's fourth goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on December 1, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND: Lucas Torreira of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his team’s fourth goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on December 1, 2018. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

The Uruguay international joined Arsenal in 2018, after strong performances in the World Cup. He had an encouraging opening campaign, then a more disappointing second year, after which he went on loans to Atletico Madrid and Fiorentina.

It looked like Fiorentina would activate their option to sign the midfielder permanently after that, but they decided against it, leaving Torreira’s future up in the air.

Fortunately, Galatasaray swooped to secure the transfer and bring us some certainty at last.