Aston Villa reportedly remain interested in signing Barcelona forward Ferran Torres this summer, but any breakthrough in our pursuit is still seemingly some way off.
The 23-year-old joined the Catalan giants in January 2022, and has since gone on to score 14 goals and provide nine assists in 71 appearances for the club.
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Despite finding himself playing a limited role for the most part, Sport recently reported how the Spanish international has insisted that his intention is to remain with Barca and prove himself.
According to a new report from Sport though, Villa are still pushing to try and sign him this summer, but not only is it suggested that our offer is ‘insufficient’ currently, but Torres has made it clear that he doesn’t want to leave.
While it’s added that his wages might have been a stumbling block too, it’s now claimed that we’re in a position to make a renewed push to sign him, with Emery specifically keen on strengthening our squad with his arrival, albeit there is an acceptance that trying to reach a deal will be complicated.
Much will also depend on Barcelona’s financial situation as they need to sell players this summer, as per the report above, and so if others around Torres don’t depart, he may well remain a candidate to be moved on, and that could keep the possibility of a transfer alive heading into the latter stages of the transfer window.
Time will tell if we can agree terms not only with Barca but with the player himself too if Emery considers him a top priority, but for now, it seems as though it is merely one to monitor in the coming weeks to see if there are any developments.
Villa have already signed Moussa Diaby this summer to bolster our attacking options, but with recent speculation over the futures of Philippe Coutinho, Leon Bailey and Bertrand Traore, if there were to be any departures, that could open up space and resources for Emery to bring in his own preferred options.
It remains to be seen if this ultimately leads to Villa considering alternative options, or if a return to the Premier League for Torres is still a possibility next month if we continue to pursue him and it becomes apparent that he’ll have to leave the Camp Nou for a more prominent role.