Arsenal are considering a January move for Orlando City forward Facundo Torres.
The Gunners are due to hold talks with the Uruguay international’s agent as they target a right winger to provide competition for Bukayo Saka.
Torres impressed in MLS this season, scoring nine goals and claiming 10 assists. Arsenal’s move for the 22-year-old is still at an early stage and it remains to be seen whether they press ahead with a deal for him after talks with his representatives and Orlando.
Torres, who played and scored against Arsenal in a pre-season friendly over the summer, only moved to Orlando in January, leaving Uruguayan side Penarol for around £7.75million and signing a four-year contract with the option for a further 12 months.
Arsenal’s interest in Torres is believed to partly be born out of the findings of scout Toni Lima. Since technical director Edu was appointed at Emirates Stadium in 2019, the club has shifted to a more data-led approach when identifying talent.
But Arsenal do still use traditional scouting methods and Lima, who was appointed in 2021, has a strong track record of identifying South American talent and is credited with being one of the first to spot Neymar and Philippe Coutinho.
Arsenal have been tracking several right wingers over the past year or so, including Wolves’ Pedro Neto and Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhaylo Mudryk.
Torres is represented by one of the biggest agencies in Uruguay and they also look after Manchester United starlet Facundo Pellistri.
As well as talks with Arsenal over Torres, the agency are expected to meet with Manchester United to discuss Pellistri’s future as clubs in Europe want to take the 20-year-old on loan in January after the World Cup.
