Barcelona and Manchester City are reportedly are getting closer to reaching an agreement over a January transfer involving Ferran Torres.
According to a report from Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona could be inching closer to the capture of Manchester City forward Ferran Torres, with the clubs moving towards reaching an agreement over a transfer fee.
Torres signed for Manchester City from Valencia in the summer of 2020 and has done fairly well during his time in England. While the Spaniard has had to share game-time with other forwards at Pep Guardiola’s disposal, he has performed well at every given opportunity. At the same time, the 21-year-old has also managed to make a solid impression with the Spanish national team.
Able to play anywhere across the frontline, Torres has shown himself capable of scoring goals and creating chances. And, his abilities have caught the eyes of Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez. The 41-year-old head coach has made signing a new forward a top priority heading into the January transfer window, and understandably so.
Barcelona have struggled to produce the goods in the final third this season and have been very goal-shy. The injuries to Ansu Fati, Martin Braithwaite, and Ousmane Dembele have complicated matters, while Sergio Aguero’s heart condition has also come as an unfortunate blow for the player and the club.
With Memphis Depay’s form nosediving after a solid start to the season, Barcelona are in desperate need of reinforcements in attack in January if they are to salvage their campaign after the recent UEFA Champions League elimination. To that end, they have been linked with a host of forwards, including PSG outcast Mauro Icardi.
But Ferran Torres has been identified as the priority by Xavi, who values the youngster’s versatility and dynamism. Add to it, the fact that he has played under Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique would make him well-equipped to acclimatise to the tactics at Barcelona. Finances, though, are proving to be a stumbling block in the deal.
Manchester City are demanding a sum of €60 million, but Barcelona are prepared to offer only as much as €45 million. However, the report mentioned above indicates that the two clubs are moving in the right direction to arrive at a compromise, with talks believed to be in advanced stages.
It remains to be seen if there is any truth to these claims, considering that the Catalans’ financial situation is bleak, and any transfer would require them to offload some of their players in the January window first.
