Arsenal have told Lucas Torreira’s entourage that they will not allow him to leave the club on a loan deal in the rapidly approaching January transfer window.
Torreira is unhappy with his lack of playing time at the Emirates Stadium this season and clubs in Serie A, where his stock remains high, are on alert.
Both AC Milan and Napoli are keen on the former Sampdoria man, with a potential loan move back to Italy for the Uruguayan floated.
However, according to Italian outlet Tutto Mercato, Arsenal have made clear to Torriera’s entourage that they will not let him leave the club on loan.
Arsenal paid Sampdoria a fee of around the £26m mark to take Torreira to London and are in no mood to sanction a loan departure.
The ball is now in the Serie A sides’ court to send an acceptable offer to Arsenal for Torreira.
It is also unclear what effect the appointment of Mikel Arteta as boss will have on the 23-year-old’s future in north London.
Arteta is likely to want to assess the squad before he signs off on any departures.
