Arsenal braced for £21m transfer bid from Napoli for unsettled Lucas Torreira if loan deal is rejected

ARSENAL are expecting Napoli to bid £21million for midfielder Lucas Torreira if their loan offer is rejected, it's been claimed.

The Uruguayan has been out of favour at the Emirates since Matteo Guendouzi established himself as the first choice holding midfielder.

He has scored just one league goal and provided no assists so far in the 2019/20 campaign.

And Torreira's agent Pablo Bentancur came out last month to add fuel to the flames, stating that the 23-year-old is not happy in north London.

He told Calciomercato:“I must say that the change of role has penalised him sharply.

"He is no longer at ease and we hope that things can change.”

Since then the former Sampdoria man has started several games, but failed to really stamp his authority as a first choice player.

Torreira spent five years in Italy before joining Arsenal in 2018, and Italian giants Napoli are now hoping the midfielder will fancy a return to the country in January.

According to , last season's Serie A runners-up are hoping to steal him away for a loan spell, but may be forced into a permanent deal.

Back in November, Bentancur refused to reveal the clubs who were interested in his client, but said that Atletico Madrid and Milan had been sniffing around previously.

However, the agent also spoke about how Arsenal were not willing to sell him.

"We got together with the Gunners' general manager, Raul Sanllehi, and he immediately told us that for Arsenal, Torreira was not for sale - an adamant position," he added.