In the World Cup final, it was Ferran Torres who led Spain to the World Cup title with his winning goal in extra time, but at FC Barcelona, he seems dissatisfied with his playing prospects. Is he set to leave?
On January 1, 2022, Ferran Torres transferred from Manchester City to FC Barcelona for 55 million euros and has since tallied 65 goals and 23 assists in 207 games for the Blaugrana. Last season, he even edged out Robert Lewandowski as the starting striker on Hansi Flick’s team, starting 23 times and contributing 16 goals to the team’s second consecutive league title. But following the Polish forward’s departure to the MLS’s Chicago Fire, Barcelona has suddenly begun aggressively courting Julian Alvarez of Atlético Madrid.
And Ferran Torres isn’t exactly thrilled about this public courtship. For him, this is likely a clear signal that the Catalans aren’t planning on him as their number one striker. On top of that, his contract with Barca expires at the end of the season on June 30, 2027—and the financially strapped Catalan club can’t really afford an early extension right now, since in that case a special clause would take effect, triggering a bonus payment of eight million euros to his former club, Man City.
This is also said to be the reason why Barcelona—and specifically sporting director Deco—have long hesitated to offer Ferran Torres, who will be a free agent next year, a new contract. And because there hasn’t really been any progress in contract negotiations for months, the Valencia-born striker has reportedly realized, according to Marca, that he is not a priority for Barça.
Barca and PSG still need to reach an agreement
According to the French website Foot Mercato, he has now decided to agree to a move to Paris Saint-Germain. Rumors had already been circulating for weeks about the Champions League winner’s interest, as well as about an agreement already reached between the player and PSG.
However, the clubs would still have to find common ground. The prospect of letting the accomplished striker leave on a free transfer is also considered the worst-case scenario in Catalonia. According to Marca, negotiations between Barcelona and PSG are scheduled for next week, and “no major obstacles are expected.” A transfer fee of 50 million euros is being discussed for the World Cup champion.
