Lucas Torreira'a agent has claimed the Arsenal midfielder could have signed for Serie A side Napoli instead of the Gunners.
The Uruguay international's agent, who has admitted his client could have made the switch to Sampdoria’s Serie A rivals rather than moving to the Premier League if new head coach Carlo Ancelotti has been appointed by Napoli at the time of the deal.
Speaking to Radio CRC, via calciomercato.com, the midfielder’s representative said: “Napoli? It’s really too bad. Ancelotti wasn’t in place yet when the talks were ongoing between the involved parties.
“He could’ve been a great mentor and coach for Lucas but as my client told me, talks were too advanced with Arsenal at that point in time. If his move to Arsenal would’ve collapsed then a move to Napoli would’ve been perfect for him.
“In the end, the Gunners satisfied our demands and they even were willing to pay €5m more than his release clause. EPL? He is adapting well to the league and he is happy to be here with Arsenal...”
Torreira has made three substitute appearances in each of his and new head coach Unai Emery’s first three games at Arsenal, impressing each time he has entered the action, albeit failing to start a match for his new club so far.
Napoli sold star midfielder Jorginho to Chelsea during the summer transfer window and may have viewed Torreira as the ideal man to fill the Italian’s void in Naples.
Arsenal fans will be hoping that the midfielder’s agent’s tone of regret at missing out on a move to Napoli is not shared by the player himself.