Ever since Lucas Torreira signed for Arsenal, there's been a hint that he'd rather be somewhere else. The 24-year-old midfielder signed for the Gunners in July 2018 from Sampdoria, commanding a transfer fee of around £26million.
And more or less ever since walking through the door at the Emirates, there have been rumours about him moving back to Serie A, with AC Milan the latest club to be linked with a move.
It's an issue Mikel Arteta could do without as he looks to build a squad in his image and though Torreira has hardly been a fixture in the side since the Spaniard's arrival, all the indicators are that he has a key role to play in the team moving forwards and the Gunners coach will be wary of attempts from Torreira's camp to get him a move back to Italy.
Although the Uruguayan himself has had little to say, his agent Pablo Bentancur has had plenty of chances to sound off on his client's behalf. Here we take a look at what's been said over the past two years...
‘His own path’
It has to be said that the signs weren’t good when Bentancur hinted in the spring of 2018 that Napoli had been Torreira’s first choice.
“There was a basic agreement with Napoli, but because of an issue, I'm talking to other clubs,” he said via CalcioMercato. “Everyone takes his own path.”
Bentancur later revealed to Italian broadcaster Radio Marte (via CalcioMercato) that it was a matter of “economic distance” between Arsenal’s offer and the one Napoli put forward – and also let slip that Torreira had been upset when the chance to move to Naples had fallen through.
“He wants to end his career at Boca [Juniors] - and Napoli is an environment very similar to that of Boca,” was one of Bentancur’s amazing revelations.
‘Not at ease’
Torreira found himself in an unfamiliar role on the pitch under Unai Emery, as a box-to-box midfielder, and his agent wasn’t happy about that either.
“Torreira is doing well at Arsenal, even if the change of role does not make him happy, but it must be said that this year the whole team is not going well," he told Radio Marte (via CalcioMercato).
"I don't know how things are, but I think Arsenal wants to keep him... In the new role, he is not at ease but we respect the coach's decisions, then we'll see what happens."
‘The heart of Lucas’
In the summer of 2019, Torreira had a chance to go back to Italy and reunite with his old Sampdoria boss Marco Giampaolo, then in charge at AC Milan – but Bentancur said that Arsenal had blocked the move.
“There was an opportunity,” he admitted to TuttoMercatoWeb. “Giampaolo is in the heart of Lucas. But Arsenal said it had no intention of selling the boy.”
‘Return to Italy’
The latest comments from Bentancur come as no surprise. He has now said explicitly that Torreira wants to go back to Italy – although he has also taken pains to point out that they have no gripe with Arsenal specifically.
"The player would like to return to Italy, but it must be admitted that in England they have treated him very well,” he told Spanish outlet TodoMercadoWeb on Friday.
The comments put the Gunners in an awkward position with football still on hold and plans for restarting the Premier League yet to be finalised.
