Lucas Torreira has confirmed he put the brakes on his move to Arsenal until after the World Cup.
Arsenal agreed a £26.5m (€30m) deal with Sampdoria for the midfielder last month but the move has been on hold due to Uruguay’s run in the tournament.
Torreira declined an offer from Gunners bosses to undergo a medical in Russia so he could focus on the World Cup.
He is now expected to complete the switch after Uruguay were knocked out by France in the quarter-finals.
When asked if he chose to postpone a medical with Arsenal until after the World Cup, Torreira said: “Yes, we could have done things differently, but I did not want to think about other things.
“The World Cup is important and being part of this squad meant a lot to me.
“But now I have more time my future will be very clear.
“The important thing is that I’m happy to have been part of this squad and this World Cup, so I thank all the people who accompanied us.”