Youngster Ferran Torres might be on his way back to Spain, a year-and-a-half after signing for Manchester City from struggling Valencia. The Spaniard is keen on a switch to Barcelona with officials from the club spotted in Manchester, reports The Athletic.
The Spaniard signed for City in the summer before the 2020/21 season from Valencia and has been a sporadic starter for Pep Guardiola’s side since. However, despite starting the season brightly and nailing his position down in the first team – before an injury ruled him out for a long spell – the 21-year-old attacker is open to the idea of leaving the Premier League champions for the Blaugrana.
The report claims that Torres is piqued by the idea of being a leading man for Xavi Hernandez’s Barcelona, albeit he isn’t agitating to secure a move. However, La Liga’s strict wage rules for Barcelona, coupled with Manchester City’s demands, could scupper the move. The Blaugrana will need to sell or release players to create room on their wage bill before they can register a new signing.
City, meanwhile, would be looking to make a considerable profit on the 23 million euros fee they paid Valencia last summer for Torres’ signature. To that end, Gerard Romero reports that the Citizens will ask for a fee in the region of 70 million euros while Barcelona are only willing to pay up to 50 million.
However, the Spanish giants have indeed reached a total agreement with Torres on personal terms, with the player accepting a pay cut.
Torres started the season in sensational form for Manchester City – he had scored thrice in seven games playing as centre-forward – before an injury ruled him out for the long term.
He had scored 13 times in 36 games in his first season in England, while his international tally for Spain stands at 12 in 22, including eight in the current calendar year. The youngster’s most recent pair of international goals came against Italy in a 2-1 win in the UEFA Nations League semi-finals.
