Barcelona star Ferran Torres is open to returning to the Premier League amidst interest from Aston Villa.
According to Football Insider, Barcelona attacker Ferran Torres could return to the Premier League. with Aston Villa interested in his services.
The former Manchester City man moved to Barcelona in a deal worth £49 million in 2022 but has failed to set Camp Nou alight with his performances. A tally of 14 goals and eight assists from 67 games is hardly a stellar return. And this summer might be time for him to move on.
A return to the Premier League could be in order, with Aston Villa keen. Unai Emery has transformed the club’s fortunes, and a good summer could see them challenge for a European spot next time around. One spot on the roster that needs reinforcements is upfront.
Aston Villa sold Danny Ings in the January transfer window but failed to bring in a replacement. Given Barcelona’s financial struggles, the Blaugrana are ready to let Torres leave. The Spaniard is versatile enough to don multiple hats across the frontline, and it should give Emery different options in the attack.
The Premier League club will also get a shot in the arm with the impending arrival of Barcelona director of football Mateu Alemany. He was responsible for signing Torres for Barcelona and could repeat the trick for Aston Villa next summer.
The 23-year-old is in need of a new challenge and could do with regular playtime at Villa Park. It is admittedly a step down from the heights offered by Barcelona or Manchester City but represents an opportunity at a personal level to get his career back on track.
An excellent finisher, Torres is also good in the air and is capable of making defence splitting passes. Villa could use him as a false nine and also as a deep lying number nine if needed. This should see Ollie Watkins drift out wide to the left and get in behind opposition defences with Torres dropping deep to feed him.
With Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and several other teams struggling, Aston Villa will do well to exploit the opportunity. Brighton have shown in recent years that with dogged scouring and a long term plan in place, anything is possible.
