The father of Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira says he wants to return to South America.

The midfielder, who is currently on loan at Atletico Madrid from Arsenal, declared that he wants to return home to play in South America after the passing of his mother Viviana Di Pascua.

Torreira's father, Ricardo, confirmed that joining Boca Juniors is their No 1 option but also claimed to have received offers for his son's services from a number of Brazilian teams.

Speaking to Radio Continental, he 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."

He added: "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."