Arsenal: 5 cut-price summer transfers to prepare for

3. Lucas Torreira

Contract expiry: 2023
Normal valuation: £18-£20m
Realistic fee: £12m

Does Lucas Torreira exist? Is he still at Copa America? Did he ever play for Arsenal? Was it all a dream?

There is absolutely nothing known about Torreira at the moment. No rumours of an exit, no word of him returning to Arsenal. Nothing.

What may have happened is that Arsenal granted him extra time off following Copa America to visit his family in Uruguay following the tragic passing of his mother. That would explain the silence on that front.

He wanted a move to Boca Juniors in order to be closer to his family, one that financially isn’t viable for Boca or Arsenal, with the latter involved in a business that they, as sad as it is, can’t afford sentiment to cost them millions in.

A move to Italy appears most likely, yet there has been nothing about the midfielder anywhere for supporters to go off.

A full international, with European experience, great combativeness and work ethic with two years left on his deal at 25 years old should fetch a decent fee. Paying £26m for him it was still unlikely that Arsenal would make that back, but they could have got close.

Instead, with Serie A and La Liga his only potential moves, the Gunners will be hard pressed to get half of what they paid for him. Having practically gone a full season without playing, not being in Arteta’s plans and with interested clubs all struggling for cash, wherever Torreira ends up will be at on a cut-price deal.

At the time of writing, it’s been exactly 365 days since he last played for Arsenal.