Arsenal transfer news: Torreira and Guendouzi in, Monreal out?

Torreira flies in for medical

Arsenal are poised to complete the long-awaited signing of Uruguay midfielder Lucas Torreira from Italian side Sampdoria this week, with the 22-year-old heading to London to undergo a medical with the Gunners.

Uruguay were knocked out of the World Cup by France on Friday evening but rather than flying home with the rest of the squad, Torreira confirmed that he was heading to London, telling Uruguayan media: “I would have been very happy to return to Uruguay with my teammates, but this is a fantastic opportunity and I do not want to waste it.”

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Arsenal thrashed out a deal with Sampdoria during the tournament, reports the Daily Mirror, but Torreira held off completing the move in order to focus on the World Cup campaign.

The deal is thought to be worth €30m (£26.5m) and Torreira will become Unai Emery’s fourth summer signing after right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner, goalkeeper Bernd Leno and centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos.

A defensive midfielder, Torreira is the kind of player Arsenal have lacked in recent seasons. He has been likened to N’Golo Kante and should fit in with Emery’s hard-pressing style of play.

Gunners linked to wonderkid Guendouzi

Arsenal have been linked with a shock move for French midfielder “wonderkid” Matteo Guendouzi.

Currently plying his trade with Lorient in Ligue 2 after joining from Paris St-Germain, the 19-year-old defensive midfielder has reportedly agreed terms with Arsenal, and dropped a major hint on social media by liking a Twitter post that suggested the move was on.

“Although Lucas Torreira is expected to be Arsenal’s last major first-team recruit this summer, Unai Emery has been keen to sign a young prospect after missing out on PSG’s Yacine Adli,” says Metro.

“Guendouzi, who has been capped at youth levels for France, is expected to complete his move to Arsenal at the start of the week before taking part in the European Under-19 tournament in Finland. He fell out with Lorient last season, initially after a dressing room fall out, before ‘personal problems’ saw him lose his place in the side a second time,” the newspaper adds.

Monreal set to leave?

The performances of defender Nacho Monreal were one of the few positives for Arsenal last season, but the Spanish full-back has become a target for La Liga side Real Sociedad and may quit the Gunners, according to the Daily Express.

The paper says that Sociedad are on the hunt for a replacement for Alvaro Odriozola, who left the club for La Liga giants Real Madrid last week - and believe that they may be able to lure Monreal back to Spain. The La Liga side have at least £25m in their pockets from the Odriozola deal.

The good news for Gunners fans is that there is “no suggestion” that Arsenal are looking to sell the 32-year-old.

West Ham and Everton join race for N’Zonzi

Arsenal may be facing competition in the race to sign Sevilla midfielder Steven N’Zonzi. According to French news site Le 10 Sport, West Ham and Everton are also hoping to secure the French midfielder, who is preparing for his national side’s World Cup semi-final against Belgium this week.

N’Zonzi, who had spells with Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City, has long been linked with a return to the Premier League and played under new Arsenal boss Emery when he was in charge of Sevilla.

However, there is unlikely to be any progress on a deal until France’s World Cup campaign comes to an end.