Lucas Torreira Confirms Flight to London Ahead of Medical to Seal Arsenal Move

Uruguay star Lucas Torreira has confirmed he is flying to London to seal his move to Arsenal rather than returning to Montevideo with the team following their exit from the 2018 World Cup.

La Celeste lost 2-0 to France on Friday, and the team will be heading home, but he will not be joining them straight away.

He told Uruguayan outlet Telenoche (h/t Aaron Flanagan of the Mirror) at the airport: "I would have been very happy to be able to return to Uruguay with my teammates, but this is a fantastic opportunity [to join Arsenal] and I do not want to waste it."

According to Flanagan, he will have a medical with the Gunners on Monday.

Indeed, BBC Sport's David Ornstein had reported the medical was dependent on when Torreira flew to London:

While his team are headed home at the quarter-final stage, Torreira had an impressive tournament for his country.

Squawka Football shared his numbers ahead of the France clash, and as football analyst Dave O'Brien noted, he put in quite the shift against Les Bleus, too:

Arsenal have long needed some steel in the centre of the park, and Torreira's ability to regain and retain possession under pressure should give them that.

His work rate will not only shield the Gunners defence, but also go some way to freeing up the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka to focus more on contributing to Arsenal's attacking play, when they tend to be at their best.

At 22 he has already impressed on the world stage, and Arsenal will hope he can get even better with age as he gains more experience.