The father of Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira has confirmed that Boca Juniors are the frontrunners to sign his son, who is "suffering" after the death of his mother.
The 25-year-old, currently on loan at Atletico Madrid, tragically lost his mother last week after she tested positive for coronavirus, and he has been linked with a move back to South America in order to be closer to his family.
The Uruguay international has made no secret of his love for Boca in the past, and his father Ricardo Torreira has confirmed that the Argentinian giants are his first option, but there are other clubs from the continent waiting in the wings.
Speaking to Radio Continental, Torreira's father said: "Lucas does not know Argentina but has been a Boca fan since he was a boy. Obviously it is the first option for him, but I have already received other calls from Brazilian teams in case Boca does not happen.
"Lucas is suffering a lot to be alone there in Europe, we are seeing how we can accompany him this month and a half until the end of the season. When you lose a person as happened to us so dear, you realise that life passes you by. If Lucas wants to come to Boca, let him come.
"We want to resolve his departure with Arsenal first and then sit down with Boca. If they believe it is convenient that Lucas is the player, they will exhaust the resources to reach an agreement. It is obvious that Boca will have to pay a transfer fee, Arsenal will want something in return."
Torreira has only made three La Liga starts for Atletico this season, and his contract at Arsenal is due to expire at the end of the 2022-23 season.
Ben Knapton
