Man City's Ferran Torres' transfer to Barcelona marks 1st big transfer of January window

Premier League giants Manchester City are all set to sell their star forward Ferran Torres in the first big transfer of the winter transfer window 2022 in January. As per a report by BBC, City has agreed on a price of £46.7m with a further £8.5m in add-ons for the 21-year-old footballer. Torres has scored a total of three goals for City while playing in a total of seven matches in the current season. His best effort was the double he scored against Arsenal, during their 5-0 win in the Premier League in August.

Meanwhile, as per BBC’s report, Barcelona are able to fund the deal despite their current financial woes, on the back of a recent bank loan. However, in order to add Torres to the squad, Barca would have to sell off a few of their players, to comply with the financial fair play regulations, laid down by the LaLiga. Torres has reportedly told the City manager Pep Guardiola that wants to leave the club to secure more playtime in first-team football and City are believed to let him go, as they have a strong depth in forward positions. Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, and Phil Foden are some of the big-name for the team’s starting spot.

Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann exit Barcelona in 2021

Meanwhile, following the exit of legendary footballer Lionel Messi in the summer transfer window, Barcelona is short of forward players amidst their financial condition. Alongside Messi, Barca also allowed Antoine Griezmann to rejoin Atletico Madrid, while Sergio Aguero joined Barca before retiring from the sport due to his medical condition. Barcelona has had a disappointing season so far, which also saw the management sacking manager Ronald Koeman after just 10 games in the season. Meanwhile, former club legend Xavi Hernandez was appointed as the club’s new manager following Koeman’s exit.

Barcelona's 2021-22 season so far

Barcelona currently stands seventh in the La Liga 2021-22 points standings. They have won seven matches, drawn seven matches, and lost four matches in the total of 18 matches they have played. At the same time, Barca finished third in the Champions League 2021-22 group stage, after winning two matches, drawing one match, and losing three matches that they have played.

(Image: AP)