Along with the lengthy transfer saga that involved Gabriel Jesus, there were the intensifying links to Youri Tielemans which suggested he too would become an Arsenal player. However, that hasn't proven to be the case, at least not yet.
football.london understands that talks between the club and Tielemans' representatives have been ongoing for a number of months, though an official bid is yet to be made. Various reports claim that personal terms have already been discussed and that the player is eager to join.
Arsenal have been linked to several names already this summer, but it is the lack of movement surrounding Tielemans that's left supporters confused when he's there for the taking. Additionally, its believed that a deal could cost just £25million due to his contract situation.
READ MORE: £60m-rated Arsenal transfer target 'expects move' before summer deadline
A new midfielder has already arrived in north London this summer after Fabio Vieira signed from FC Porto and although the Portugal U21 international can play in central midfield, he is very attacking-minded and operates best as a No.10. Because of this, it's unlikely that the addition of Vieira is directly linked to a move for Tielemans.
It would seem that it's more connected to the numbers Arsenal already have in that area of the pitch, and one of the players that are contributing to that number is Lucas Torreira. The Uruguayan spent last season out on loan at Fiorentina and enjoyed a successful spell with the Serie A side.
It was expected that Torreira would complete a permanent switch to the club this summer, although there were people "acting in a bad way" who "managed to prevent this from happening", the player confirmed.
So as of today, Torreira remains under contract at Arsenal and he may well find himself on the plane with the rest of the squad as they fly out to America next week to continue their pre-season. That's according to his agent, who says the Gunners have requested that his client now returns to London.
"Torreira to Juve? In fact, he would like to stay and play in Italy, but today Arsenal has called him up for the tour they will do in America, so he seems to be part of the program," he told Sport Italia via JuventusNews24.
What happens with Tielemans remains to be seen, but if reports are to be believed, it appears that Arsenal have already laid out much of the groundwork in order to wrap things up swiftly.
It's possible that the plan is to wait until the futures of certain players like Torreira are resolved before potentially revisiting a deal later down the line. Either that or other priorities are currently being worked on, which of course cannot be ruled out.
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