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Arsenal are have been left furious with Atletico Madrid over Lucas Torreira’s lack of game time, according to reports from Spain.
Torreira, 24, joined the Spanish giants on a season-long loan last October after a serious ankle injury impacted his 2019/20 season.
The Uruguayan international and was tipped to play a major role for Atletico this campaign.
But while Diego Simeone’s men lead La Liga, Torreira has started just two league games and made a total of six appearances.
All four of his appearances in the Champions League also came from the bench, leaving Arsenal ‘furious’ with the Atletico hierarchy.
That’s according to Madrid-based outlet Libertad Digital, which
claims Gunners chiefs suspect Atletico of trying to devalue Torreira’s price tag.
The loan deal signed off by both clubs includes no obligation to buy the former Sampdoria man, who moved to the Emirates in a £26million transfer in 2018.
The report adds Arsenal did not know Atletico would swoop to sign
highly-rated Geoffrey Kondogbia from Valencia last November.
The club were granted a special exemption by La Liga to sign Kondogbia outside the transfer window in light of Thomas Partey’s move to the Gunners on Deadline Day the previous month.
Just as Arsenal are reportedly angry with Atletico, the Spanish club were livid after the Gunners’ last-gasp bid to meet Partey’s £45million release clause with no prior warning.
Their replacement for the Ghanaian, Kondogbia, plays a similar defensive midfield role to Torreira, which has further limited the loanee’s game time.
Atletico boss Simeone is understood to deny claims his side are deliberately devaluing Torreira, while it remains to be seen if Arsenal can cut their player’s loan spell short.
Serie A club Fiorentina are reportedly keen on Torreira, but agent Pablo Bentancur insists his client is happy at the Wanda Metropolitano.
“Lucas is calm and happy and has nothing in his mind beyond continuing with Atletico,” Betancur told Gianluca Di Marzio in December. “He is finishing his process of adaptation [to the team and La Liga].”
Vincent Paul
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