Arsenal set for £6m transfer boost ‘plus add-ons’ as forgotten man seals deal | Football | Sport

“If you can get £8m [for Leno] take it and move on. That £8m can go towards a [Youri] Tielemans or a [Cody] Gakpo. They have to get bodies out to create space to get bodies in.”

Torreira joined Arsenal from Sampdoria four years ago for a fee of £22m, representing a significant loss but he was deemed surplus to requirements by Arteta and technical director Edu has recently admitted that it was not keeping players around the squad who won’t contribute, even if it means losing money on their asset.

“Try to avoid one more year with the problem inside,” Edu told The Athletic. “In the dressing room, expensive, not performing. Clean, take it out. Even, I’m sorry, if you have to pay. To leave is better. Because that guy is sometimes also blocking someone. I know it hurts, I know it’s strange when I go to the board and say, ‘Sometimes it’s better to pay a player to leave than maintain them’. But I consider it an investment. Sometimes people say: ‘It’s expensive’. I say: ‘No, it’s investment’. But someone will pay if you sell? No, guys — if the player is above 26, 27 and not performing, big salary, no chance.”