Big Summary: Ferran Torres keen on Barcelona move | OneFootball

Reports from Spain and England have confirmed the desires of currently injured Manchester City forward Ferran Torres, who wants to join Barcelona.

Yesterday, at around midday, Sique Rodriguez of Cadena Ser informed that Barcelona chief Mateu Alemany was at the offices of the Premier League champions, with Raheem Sterling being the name suggested as being discussed, having been linked with the Catalan club over the past few weeks.

However, on his Twitch channel, Spanish journalist Gerard Romero was the first to reveal that Barcelona were negotiating with City for Torres, with the player welcoming the idea of joining the side managed by Xavi. Romero added that the clubs were discussing the formula in which an operation could be completed.

Fernando Polo of Mundo Deportivo would follow, confirming the information presented by Romero while also confirming that Torres had spoken to Pep Guardiola about his wish to leave for Barcelona – the boss said to be understanding should there be an agreement between the two clubs over the terms of a transfer.

Polo would also go further to corroborate the details brought by Rodriguez regarding Alemany's visit to Manchester, with Polo adding that Barca CEO Ferran Reverter had accompanied him on his visit – the pair said to have negotiated with City CEO Ferran Soriano over the potential move.

Confirmation from England would follow in the form of Sam Lee of The Athletic and Jack Gaughan of Mail Sport – two of the top, well-informed City-related journalists in the business.

The Athletic's City correspondent reported that while Torres is far from desperate to leave the Etihad Stadium, the 21-year-old is keen to secure a regular starting role and the idea of leading the line for Barcelona a seductive one.

Lee writes that it is understood Torres has not had a direct conversation with Guardiola regarding his intentions but that the club are aware of his intentions of making a January move.

Lee highlights that Barcelona's dire financial situation makes the transfer far from certain but that the club are working hard to offload players such as Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho to raise funds, which goes hand in hand with a report from RAC1 in Spain who report that Coutinho is deemed an essential departure in order to sign anyone in January as a result of the lack of salary wiggle room.

RAC 1 state that while the striker has said 'yes' to Barca, City want a transfer that would double the investment of €23million + €12million in bonuses they made – Barcelona acknowledging that the operation is 'complicated'.

In his report in the Mail, Gaughan also writes that the former Valencia man would be expected to cost around double the price paid for him in the summer of 2020, with further confirmation of the visit to Manchester made by Alemany and Reverter. City sources reportedly said the pair were in the UK for business meetings.

All in all, it is quite clear, based on the various reports from well-placed journalists, that Torres would indeed like to join Barcelona – linking up with some of his national team colleagues, including Eric Garcia, with whom he shares a close relationship.

However, what is less clear, and perhaps crucial to the whole story, is whether the club would be able to stump up the right level of cash to make a deal possible – Catalan sports channel Onze claim the valuation to be at €70million. Torres has a contract set to run until the summer of 2025, so City chiefs will be under no pressure to sell – and early indications are that the player will not be causing a problem should he not get his wish.

Ultimately, though, only time will tell.

Photo courtesy of Richard Heathcote/Getty Images