It appears that the Lucas Torreira chapter at Arsenal has finally come to an end as Galatasaray S. K. have reportedly signed the Uruguayan midfielder on a permanent deal. While the Gunners have been extremely active in this summer window, signing players for big sums, it all comes with the consequence of letting go of certain players who are usually on the fringes of the squad.
Torreira fell out of favour with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta which led him to join Atletico Madrid on loan. Torreira ended up winning the La Liga title but the player barely made an impact. He made 19 appearances in La Liga for Atletico, amassing a little over 500 minutes (stats via transfermarkt), a dismal tally for a solid central midfielder.
Following the disappointing stint at Atleti, the player was loaned out to Italian outfit, ACF Fiorentina last season. The player enjoyed a bountiful time at this new club and was a regular for Vincenzo Italiano’s side.
Both the player and the club were looking to make the move permanent. Fiorentina had an “option to buy” clause in their loan contract worth €15 million. However, at the end of the season, the Viola only shelled out €6m, which led to a collapse in the deal [Sun].
The 26-year-old will eventually get his wish though. The 22-time record Super Lig champions, Galatasaray, have recently concluded the move for the troubled Torreira. The former Turkish football giants have managed to sign the Uruguayan for a reported fee of around €6/7 million, according to transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano.
The defensive midfielder will be looking to rejuvenate his career in Turkey after appearing over 89 times for Arsenal (stats via transfermarkt) and helping them lift the FA Cup in Mikel Arteta’s first season as Gunners manager.
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Lucas Torreira will be the former Turkish champions’ eighth signing of the season as the club hopes to bounce back from a disappointing season last year when they finished 13th in the league, 29 points behind champions Trabzonspor.
Torreira is not the only big signing the club has made. Galatasaray have also signed out-of-contract Dries Mertens from Napoli and French left-back Leo Dubois from Olympique Lyonnais.
Torreira would be eager to get his career out of this rut that had befallen him a couple of seasons ago, and potentially win some silverware while doing so.
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