Sampdoria President Confirms €30m Arsenal Signing of Midfielder Lucas Torreira

Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero has publicly spoken about Lucas Torreira's imminent £26.4m move to Arsenal and in doing so has effectively confirmed that the expected transfer has now been completed.

Seeking to pat himself on the back for such great business, Ferrero commented on the fee that the Gunners have paid for defensive midfielder Torreira compared to the fee that he paid for the player when he signed him from Pescara in 2015.

He described the Uruguayan as having now 'left' the Genoa club.

"Torreira left for €30m," Ferrero said while appearing on Italian television.

"I bought him from Pescara when no one believed in him. We bet on him and we won, paying just €3m. The money that comes in will be used to fund the club."

Torreira, 22, played in 36 matches in Serie A last season, scoring four goals and providing an assist. His performances in Italy earned him a place in Uruguay's World Cup squad, and he is currently with the team in Russia, having briefly featured in La Celeste's 1-0 win over Egypt.

Arsenal have already confirmed the summer signings of full-back Stephan Lichtsteiner and goalkeeper Bernd Leno. An official announcement regarding Torreira, who is currently at the World Cup with Uruguay, is expected to follow in due course.

The Gunners are additionally believed to be close to the signing of Greek centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos, while Jack Wilshere has chosen to end his time with the club for what he described as 'purely footballing reasons' after only recently agreeing to take a pay cut to stay.