According to a report by Italian media outlet ANSA, Arsenal are closing in on the £26m signing of Sampdora midfielder Lucas Torreira, and West Ham United should move quickly to sign Mohamed Elneny if a deal for the Uruguay international goes through.

What's the word, then?

Well, ANSA report that the highly-rated 22-year-old has been on the Gunners' radar for a while, but a deal had been in doubt as he looked set to stay after a move to Serie A rivals Napoli stalled.

However, ANSA says that now Sampdoria have secured a replacement in Lokomotiv Zagreb's Lovro Majer, which means that they are now willing to let Torreira go.

The report adds that while the player has a release clause of €25m (£22m) that must be paid within 60 days after the transfer is confirmed, the north London club are willing to pay €30m (£26m) but with the fee split into instalments.

Meanwhile, Elneny struggled to get a regular starting spot for Arsenal last term and despite signing a new long-term contract in March having initially joined the club in a £5m deal from Basel in 2016, his future would surely be in doubt if Torreira arrives at the Emirates considering they already have the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Granit Xhaka and Jack Wilshere – if he pens a new deal – competing for the midfield spots.

Why should West Ham look to sign Elneny?

Well, the Irons, who should also move for a 6ft 4in England international if Chelsea complete a mega £45m transfer, seemingly need to sign a new defensive midfielder this summer with Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate – and in particular the Senegal international – struggling for form throughout the 2017/18 campaign.

While Elneny has never been a regular fixture in the Arsenal starting XI, he has shown that he has plenty of energy and is more than adept from a defensive point of view as he is something of an enforcer, and he could help tighten up the east London outfit's leaky defence.

Meanwhile, he is trustworthy in possession and doesn't often give the ball away – as shown by the fact that he had a passing accuracy of 93.6% in 25 appearances in the Premier League and Europa League last season, as per WhoScored.com.

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