Fiorentina wanted to add a pure deep-lying midfielder this summer, and their search has borne its fruits. They have managed to bring Lucas Torreira back to Italy. The Viola reached an agreement with Arsenal on a €1.5M loan with a €15M option to buy, Gianluca Di Marzio reports. He put pen-to-paper earlier today.
According to football.london, the 25-year-old midfielder prioritized returning to Serie A over other options. In particular, Eintracht Frankfurt had shown strong interest and tried to sign him on a permanent deal, Calciomercato.com relays.
Despite having Erick Pulgar and Sofyan Amrabat, Fiorentina desired to bring in a more technical player. Plus, Atalanta and Napoli are tracking the Moroccan international. After flourishing at Sampdoria, Torreira moved to Arsenal in 2018 in a €28.65M move. However, he fell out of favor in the ensuing seasons. The Gunners allowed the player to pick his next destination, and Fiorentina won him over.
Torreira went out on loan to Atletico Madrid in the past campaign. He accumulated 26 appearances and scored once. He was not in Mikel Arteta’s plans and had been practicing individually since returning. Multiple teams eyed him in recent years and earlier in the window. Lazio, Napoli and Roma had been after him as well, but Fiorentina acted more quickly.
The Viola also held talks with Barcelona for Miralem Pjanic. However, the Uruguayan international was an easier and cheaper target. Moreover, the Bosnian midfielder prefers waiting since he has multiple proposals on the table, Alfredo Pedullà reports.