La Liga title holders Barcelona are frantically seeking suitors for out-of-favour forward Ferran Torres amid the club’s battle with Financial Fair Play.
According to Sport, the Catalans have identified the former Manchester City winger as an inevitable sacrifice to address their financial woes.
Barcelona will sell their misfiring star for €40 million despite shelling out €55m to bring him from the Etihad Stadium in January 2021.
However, due to a lack of interested parties, they are willing to accept a two-year loan as long as they remove the Spaniard’s salary from their books.
There were high hopes for Torres after he enjoyed a flying start to his second La Liga stint, helping the Blaugrana turn the corner across his first six months at the club.
But he lost his touch in the campaign just gone, tallying only four goals and two assists in 33 league appearances.
His problems with inconsistent performances will now come back to bite him as Barcelona continue to push for his exit against his will.
Forced to facilitate at least one big-name departure from the frontline, Xavi Hernandez has deemed Ansu Fati and Torres surplus to requirements.
Neither player is enthusiastic about the idea of leaving Spotify Camp Nou despite their marginal roles in the squad, which has seen Barca’s frustration boil over.
While Fati is temporarily off the table, with Barcelona taking time to re-evaluate his first-team prospects, the 23-year-old’s future in Catalunya is sealed.
Atletico Madrid and Villarreal are among the clubs excited about Torres’ profile, with the latter in great need of a new winger after agreeing to sell Samuel Chukwueze to AC Milan.
The Nigerian’s imminent move to Serie A could help the Yellow Submarine raise funds to finance the Spaniard’s arrival, having previously stumbled into his hefty wages.
Unlike Villarreal, Atletico can afford Torres’ salary. But they must resolve Yannick Carrasco’s future first, as the Belgian is in no man’s land after falling out of favour with Diego Simeone.
