Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has allowed Lucas Torreira to leave the club twice on loan since being appointed in late 2019, but could now look to bring him back into the fold.
The Uruguayan international's start to life at the Emirates was incredibly promising under then-Gunners boss Unai Emery, but things soon soured when he was asked to play a more attacking role he clearly wasn't comfortable with. By the time Arteta arrived it looked clear Torreira harboured aspirations of ending his north London nightmare.
Loan spells with Atletico Madrid and more recently Fiorentina both followed, but after the Serie A outfit failed to match Arsenal's asking price for the player - it now looks as if Torreira is in the club's plans this season. This comes amid reports the Gunners have told the 26-year-old to attend the upcoming pre-season tour of the United States.
As recently as last month, the former Sampdoria midfielder went public with his desire to leave after discovering his Arsenal shirt number had been stripped of him and handed to Gabriel Martinelli.
Pressed for comment on the idea of staying at the Emirates, Torreira told El Telegrafo: "There is no chance. From the beginning they told me that I didn’t have a place, so I don’t want to stay either because I suffered a lot, it cost me a lot to adapt and my idea is to go to Italy or Spain.
"What I wanted was to stay at Fiorentina, but it didn’t happen for various reasons, so we’ll look for a new direction."
HAVE YOUR SAY! Can Torreira play a vital part for Arsenal this season? Comment below
Despite that very public display 'come and get me' plea from Torreira, the midfielder's agent has revealed Arsenal are not deterred by his desires and will rely on him for the upcoming tour of the States and potentially beyond that.
Speaking to SportItalia, per Tutto Juve, Pablo Bentancur said: "Torreira would like to stay and play in Italy but as of today, Arsenal have called him up for the tour they will do in America, so it looks like he's part of their plans."
Torreira has just one year left to run on his current deal at the Emirates, meaning this summer transfer window presents Arsenal's last chance at recouping any kind of cash for the midfielder before he seizes the chance to walk away on a free this time next year.
Arteta has been keeping tabs on a number of midfielders from elsewhere to try and bring into the club, including Leicester City star Youri Tielemans. The Belgian is thought to be incredibly keen on the move but Arsenal are yet to send a formal offer the Foxes way.
