Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has responded to the club’s links to Manchester City forward Ferran Torres ahead of the January transfer window.
Speaking after his team’s 3-1 victory over Villarreal this past weekend (h/t Goal), Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez refused to get drawn into the talks of a January move for Manchester City forward Ferran Torres.
The Catalan giants are desperately scouring the market for attacking additions ahead of the upcoming winter transfer window. With the likes of Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembele and Sergio Aguero struggling with fitness issues, the club need a new forward, with manager Xavi casting his sights on a move for the 21-year-old Torres.
Having arrived at Manchester City in the summer of last year, the ex-Valencia forward has impressed a fair bit while also establishing himself as a regular in the Spanish national team. A versatile operator who can operate anywhere in the final third, Torres has the potential to be a fine addition for Barcelona.
When quizzed about the rumours after the win against Villarreal, Xavi refused to address it directly, insisting that the time was not right for him to be talking about transfers. “It’s not the right time to talk about signings. Not right after the game, which will give us a great boost of morale,” the 41-year-old said.
While Xavi might have been reluctant to comment on the speculations, Barcelona vice-president Rafael Yuste admitted that CEO Ferran Torres had travelled to England, and the club are in talks with Manchester City over a possible swoop for Torres.
Speaking to Movistar Plus (h/t Goal), he said: “Ferran is a great player, like others. We are working with discretion to seek the best for the club. We simply have friends at City, there is a very good relationship and Reverter has paid a courtesy visit.”
Reports last week indicated that Torres was keen on a move to Camp Nou and had reached a total agreement with Barcelona over a transfer. However, Manchester City are unwilling to sanction a sale midway through the season and have slapped a valuation of €70 million on the 21-year-old.
With the Blaugrana’s finances in dire straits, it is almost impossible for them to shell out such a sum in January. So, it will be interesting to see if their approach for Torres leads to anything substantial in the coming weeks.