Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira says he is looking to move to Atletico Madrid on a permanent basis. The Uruguayan international made the switch to the Spanish club on a season-long loan before the transfer deadline earlier this month.

Atletico don’t have the option to buy the 24-year-old but, speaking after his side lost 4-0 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League during the week, Torreira confirmed his ambition is to remain in La Liga beyond the end of the season:

“I know that I am a year on loan. But I’ve been here for four or five days and it seems like it’s a lot, because I’ve been treated very well. It is a new opportunity in my life, in which I have fought a lot because Atletico has always been one of my dreams, one of my goals as a team. And being able to achieve it at the age of 24 is something very important. It all depends on how I go during the season, which I hope is very good, and maybe in the future, I can stay in the club.”

Of course, the decision won’t be purely down to the player. Atletico will have to stump up some cash if they want to sign Torreira permanently. They do have some funds available after the Gunners paid £45m for Thomas Partey but it remains to be seen whether they’d be willing to match the asking price.

Arsenal paid Sampdoria £26m for the Uruguayan back in 2018 and they will be looking to recoup as much of that fee as possible. Whether Atletico will be prepared to pay that depends on how he performs during his loan spell.