Barcelona made a move to sign Spain front Ferran Torres but talk to City of Manchester Sources told ESPN that so far has proven unsuccessful.
New coach Xavi Hernandez wants to add another attacking player to his squad in January, with Last week’s ESPN report that Barca also typed Man City Raheem Sterling and Chelsea couple Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech.
Barca have also made Torres one of their main targets, having watched him since his first breakthrough at the club. Valencia. The club believes that his experience in LaLiga will ease the adjustment process.
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Director of football Mateu Alemany and CEO Ferran Reverter were in Manchester on Friday for a meeting with City to discuss the transfer.
Sources told ESPN that City’s initial reaction was that they didn’t want to let Torres go, who is expected to return from injury later this year.
Torres, 21, is said to be open to a return to Spain, and sources add City could open the door for an exit if he expresses a desire to leave.
However, they will be demanding more than 40 million euros for a player they initially signed for a fee of 23 million euros from Valencia in 2020.
Barca’s financial situation is likely to hinder them in any negotiations. The club’s total debt is more than 1 billion euros and Alemany recently said it would not be able to sign new players in January while complying with LaLiga’s salary cap.
Catalan clubs continue to work to reduce their wage bill, with Lionel Messi move in Paris Saint-Germain Free transfer while Antoine Griezmann rejoin Atlético Madrid summer loan. Barca are also looking to bring in new sponsors to give them a chance to move forward.
Sources add that striking an agreement with City will still be difficult, even if Barca look to pay any potential extra fees during the term of Torres’ contract.
Sources told ESPN that a move for Torres has been in the works for several months. Barca first voiced a move in the summer.
Alemany previously worked for Valencia, where he built a good relationship with Torres and his representatives, laying the groundwork for this week’s negotiations.
New Barca coach Xavi has backed the move. He wants to add another striker to the team in January and Torres, who can play wide or in the middle, is seen as the perfect fit.
Torres has scored 16 goals in 43 appearances for Man City and another 12 in just 22 appearances for Spain.
