Barcelona chasing Man City man after Guardiola ‘laughed off’ summer proposal

Ferran Torres Man City September 2021

Manchester City will have to fend off another move from Barcelona for forward Ferran Torres next year, according to one report.

The City forward is understood to be on a target list at the Camp Nou. Barca even made an approach for the 21-year-old in the summer.

Torres, according to The Sun, was wanted by Ronald Koeman in Catalonia. But such are Barca’s financial problems they could only propose a loan deal with a obligation to buy at a later date.

As you might expect, with Sergio Aguero already departed for Barca, the proposal did not go down well at The Etihad. In fact Guardiola “laughed off” the idea and sent Koeman packing.

But that has apparently not deterred Barca president Joan Laporta and chief exec Mateu Alemany. And Alemany, who knows Torres from their days at Valencia, will return in the summer to try and lure the player back to Spain.

Barca are short of attacking options after seeing Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann depart in the summer. And Torres’ stock is high in Spain after an impressive run of form at Euro 2020.

EXCLUSIVE: Manchester City chasing Spain forward Oyarzabal

EXCLUSIVE: Manchester City chasing Spain forward Oyarzabal

Pep Guardiola is scouting a Real Sociedad forward as Barcelona reportedly want him back at the Camp Nou, while Rio Ferdinand tips Raheem Sterling to leave.

 

He scored twice and grabbed an assist at the summer tournament and he has started the season well for City.

The wideman has been moved into a central striking role this season by Guardiola. And he has scored three goals from six starts, with one assist.


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Guardiola: He came as a winger

After a debut season where he made only 15 Premier League starts he is expected to feature more heavily this term.

The £20.8m signing though has impressed Guardiola and speaking after his hat-trick against Newcastle in May, he told Sky Sports: “Not just this evening. Of course, this evening was so important, but not just this evening. It’s his first season in England and his numbers are exceptional. In terms of goals, exceptional.

“He came as a winger, and then he had to think about it to play as a striker. When we had Sergio [Aguero] and Gabriel [Jesus] injured for most part of the season and played as a striker, all of it was there.

“He scored against Leeds, he scored against Crystal Palace. There were periods of time where I didn’t give [him] minutes, but he’s played and has a sense for goal and it is so important. So I’m very pleased.”

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