Lucas Torreira's loan spell at Atletico Madrid is set to end earlier than expected, according to reports.
The Arsenal midfielder swapped the Emirates Stadium for the Spanish capital on transfer deadline day back in October and was effectively a direct replacement for Thomas Partey who moved in the opposite direction.
However, Torreira has struggled for game time under Diego Simeone thus far.
Either side of recovering from Covid-19, the 24-year-old has been limited to just nine appearances across all competitions and only two of which have been as a starter.
As a result, it would appear that Atletico are ready to send Torreira back to north London - several months earlier than planned as his loan deal runs until the end of the season.
TuttoMercato claim Simeone has given the green light for the midfielder to return to Arsenal.
In addition, the report states that Torreira did not meet expectations at Madrid and is already looking for a new club for the second half of the season.
It remains to be seen if the midfielder moves on a permanent or another loan deal in the January transfer window, but Torino have been linked.
A move to the Serie A side would see Torreira reunited with Marco Giampaolo whom he played under at Sampdoria.
If the Gunners are able to sell Torreira permanently next month, then the funds could be used to bolster Mikel Arteta's squad during the window.
When speaking just last month, Torreira stated that the lack of native speakers in the Arsenal squad had a detrimental impact on his time at the Emirates Stadium.
"This affects me a lot (the amount of native speakers in the squad)," he told Spanish news outlet AS.
"I have two Uruguayan colleagues, a Uruguayan teacher, an Argentine coaching staff and language is an important factor, too.
"I was in England for two years and that issue cost me, beyond that I was taking classes.
"I know that I came to Atletico Madrid, a club with a lot of hierarchy that fights important things, that also influenced the decision I made."
