‘Firm belief’ Man City, Barcelona transfer goes ahead as ace makes wish known
Ferran Torres and his entourage ‘firmly believe’ a transfer to Barcelona will go ahead after the star made his wishes known to Man City.
Torres joined Pep Guardiola side’s in August 2020 for £21million, in a deal which saw him leave boyhood side Valencia. The Spain international soon began to impress and ended his debut campaign with 13 goals from 36 games in all competitions.
Torres got on the scoresheet twice against Arsenal towards the start of the current campaign. But he has been out since October after suffering a fractured foot.
Despite the injury, Torres’ future is unclear. Xavi and Barcelona are eager to take him back to La Liga. They need a new number nine following Sergio Aguero’s retirement on Wednesday.
While Torres began his career as a winger, many believe he would be able to operate as an effective centre-forward.
Barcelona were optimistic over a deal right from the outset, even though they were some way off Man City’s valuation of the 21-year-old.
90Min report that the transfer is gathering pace. Man City are willing to sanction Torres’ exit from the Etihad as Phil Foden has made the false nine role his own.
The star has told City chiefs of his desire to join Xavi’s revolution at the Camp Nou. This is despite him being comfortable and happy in Manchester.
A source said: “The player’s camp firmly believe this will happen in January, and their hope is it will be agreed before the new year.”
Barca want to spread the cost of a move by finalising an initial loan. This will allow them to improve their finances somewhat before meeting Torres’ price tag in the summer.
City want €60m (£51m) for the goalscorer, whereas Barca’s highest bid to date is €45m (£38m).
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Pep praises ‘incredible’ Man City fans
Meanwhile, Guardiola has lauded the City faithful following the 7-0 thumping of Leeds at home.
“Congratulations to the team, it was a good performance for us,” he told BT Sport.
“We did a good performance, the vibes of the stadium was nice today – it was sold out and the supporters were incredible.
“The team started in a good rhythm and our central defenders made good build-up. We were patient with the ball and the quality of the players did the rest.”
After praising Leeds’ spirit, Guardiola added: “When you get these results it’s because individually they [the players] are brilliant.”
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