Arsenal news: £13m midfielder deal follows Arteta contract to aid transfer business

Arsenal have followed Mikel Arteta's new contract by concluding a deal with Fiorentina for the permanent transfer of midfielder Lucas Torreira. The Uruguayan midfielder has been on a season-long loan with the Serie A club and is expected to make his move permanent in the coming weeks.

The Gunners boss signed a new deal on May 6 to keep him at the Emirates Stadium until the summer of 2025. Upon signing his renewal, Arteta reiterated his desire to take the club to the next level. One of the Spaniard's key areas of focus since taking over has been ridding the club of players not in his plans going forward.

Torreira was signed by Unai Emery from Sampdoria for a fee in the region of £25 million. The Uruguay international impressed during his debut campaign, but fell out of favour following the arrival of Arteta.

The 26-year-old was loaned to Atletico Madrid last season, where he won the La Liga title with Diego Simeone's side, but failed to establish himself as a regular. Torreira has spent the ongoing campaign with Fiorentina, and has impressed manager Vincenzo Italiano with five goals and one assist in 29 appearances.

The Serie A club are keen to make the deal permanent and according to Italian publication Calcio Mercato, they have reached an agreement with Arsenal. Fiorentina will part with £13 million, which is the buy option clause inserted in Torreira's loan contract with the club.

Arsenal are expected to be busy during the summer transfer window, and Torreira's sale will aid in Arteta's quest to further strengthen his team. The Spanish manager is reportedly keen to bring in two new strikers, a midfielder, a full back and a winger.

"[The goal is] to take the club to the next level and to compete really with the top teams. In order to do that, we have to be playing in the Champions League," Arteta said after signing his new deal, as quoted on Arsenal.com.

"We have to be able to evolve the team, improve our players, improve all departments, generate even more connection with our fans, improve the atmosphere at the Emirates, be able to recruit top, top talent and the best people for this club to drive this project to that level," he added.