The agent of Orlando City's Facundo Torres has confirmed that Arsenal are interested in signing the forward, according to a report.
The 22-year-old joined the MLS outfit in January for around £7m from Uruguayan side Penarol and he has since recorded 13 goals and 10 assists in 40 appearances across all competitions.
Torres's form in the USA has allegedly caught the eye of Arsenal, with one report claiming that the Gunners are considering a bid for the forward when the January transfer window opens.
Edgardo Lasalvia, the agent of Torres, has confirmed to ESPN that he is to hold talks with London-based scout Toni Lima – who has discovered South American stars such as Neymar and Philippe Coutinho – over a possible move for the forward to the Premier League.
Lasalvia has also admitted that Arsenal do hold an interest in Torres but "there is still nothing advanced" on a potential transfer to the Emirates Stadium at present.
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The 10-cap Uruguay international has been identified as a potential target by Mikel Arteta, who will allegedly be handed £50m to spend in the winter window as the North Londoners aim to strengthen their Premier League title bid.
Arsenal currently sit at the top of the Premier League table after making a strong start to the 2022-23 campaign, winning 10 of their first 12 matches.
Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and summer signing Gabriel Jesus have been the favoured trio in attack by Arteta so far this season, while Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson and Marquinhos have also been handed opportunities in the final third.
Arteta may still be tempted to bolster his attacking options further, and the addition of Torres could be viewed as a cheaper alternative to the likes of Mykhaylo Mudryk, Cody Gakpo and Moussa Diaby, who have all been linked with a switch to the Emirates.
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However, Orlando are under no immediate pressure to sell one of their star assets, who is under contract at the MLS club until December 2025.
Orlando technical director Ricardo Moreira has recently talked up the "growth" of Torres since he joined the club earlier this year and he hopes that the Florida-based outfit can fend off interest in the forward's services.
"We see [Facundo's] growth into the league, his understanding of the league, his understanding of the physicality and speed required has been amazing," Moreira told mlssoccer.com.
"He's a guy where all I have to say is that the sky is the limit. Kudos to the Wilf family (Orlando's owners), who helped us doing such an investment because I think it's all paying off. There's more to come from him and I hope we can stay with Facundo as long as we can."
Torres is hoping to represent Uruguay at the 2022 World Cup and has been named in the nation's 55-man provisional squad, which will be reduced to 26 players by November 13.
Oliver Thomas
