Lucas Torreira: Claims Midfielder Is Looking to Leave Arsenal Are 'Wildly Exaggerated'

Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira could yet remain at the Emirates Stadium this summer after the latest gossip on his future alleges that he is not actively

Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira could yet remain at the Emirates Stadium this summer after the latest gossip on his future alleges that he is not actively looking to leave the club, despite previous claims he has been eyeing a return to Italy just a year arriving in England.

Torreira joined the Gunners for around £26m from Sampdoria last July and the tenacious Uruguayan, who also enjoyed a strong World Cup, quickly established himself as a fan favourite.

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However, his place at the Emirates Stadium has been increasingly uncertain since he admitted in an interview back home in Uruguay earlier this month that he has been struggling with the language barrier and climate since moving to London from Genoa.

"I don't know if there are many things that I enjoy," the 23-year-old was quoted as saying. "I think it was better in Italy. England is a totally different world, a very large country. The language [barrier] has stopped me, to be able to relate with my teammates and with the people.

"It is very difficult when you can't have dialogue. And so is the climate. You go out in the morning and it is cloudy, you arrive late to your home and it is cloudy."

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Whether something in that interview was lost in translation remains to be seen because the latest from the Daily Telegraph is that Torreira is 'not agitating for a move', despite what numerous reports in Italy, where he is believed to be a target for AC Milan, have been claiming.

The Telegraph acknowledges that Torreira is indeed a 'top target' for Milan, but cites 'sources close to the player' to assert that suggestions he is actively trying to leave are 'wildly exaggerated'.

The newspaper goes further, explaining that one source described the claims that Torreira wants to leave Arsenal because of the English weather as 'nonsense'.

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That doesn't stop him being a 'priority' for Milan, with ex-Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis now running the club. Torreira's old Sampdoria coach Marco Giampolo is also now at San Siro after being recruited to replace former Rossoneri boss Gennaro Gattuso.

But the stumbling block for Milan could be the finances, with Arsenal said to be looking for a fee that is 'considerably higher' than their initial investment in order to let Torreira go.