Arsenal to sign Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira in double transfer as pair undergo medicals

James Olley9 July 2018

Arsenal are set to take their summer spending past £70million as they close in on Sampdoria’s Lucas Torreira and Lorient’s Matteo Guendouzi.

The midfield duo are both due at London Colney in the next 24 hours to undergo medicals and are expected to become new manager Unai Emery’s fourth and fifth signings.

Torreira’s switch was on hold while Uruguay advanced to the World Cup quarter-finals but after their exit to France on Friday, the 22-year-old was released from international duty. However, rather than go on holiday or return to his homeland, Torreira will come to London in an effort to complete his £25m transfer before taking a break.

“I would have been very happy to be able to return to Uruguay with my team-mates but this is a fantastic opportunity [to join Arsenal] and I do not want to waste it,” he told Argentine TV.

Emery believes Torreira can make an immediate impact — partly why Jack Wilshere was told he would not be a major part of the first team — while Guendouzi is one for the future.

The Gunners are believed to have agreed a fee in the region of £7m for the France Under-20 international and are keen to tie him down on a five-year contract. Guendouzi made 20 appearances for Lorient last season having come through the ranks at Paris St Germain before leaving in 2014.

Should both deals be completed, Emery will have moved swiftly to address a key area for which Wenger was long criticised. Both Torreira and Guendouzi are defensive midfielders and Emery is keen to add greater resilience and protection for a defence that conceded 51 League goals last term.

Closing in: Lorient’s Matteo Guendouzi
AFP/Getty Images

Emery will be under pressure to sell should he wish to make any further additions given Arsenal only had a modest budget of around £50m to spend this summer.

Torreira and Guendouzi will join Bernd Leno (£22m) and Sokratis Papastathopoulos (£17m) in addition to free transfer Stephan Lichtsteiner as part of a significant overhaul of the squad.

The Gunners have saved some money in allowing Wilshere to go but they are yet to reach an agreement over an extension for Aaron Ramsey, whose deal has just 12 months left to run.

Nacho Monreal has attracted interest from Real Sociedad, but it is unclear as yet whether Emery will let him go.

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