Official: Barcelona complete €65m Ferran Torres signing

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 28 Dec 2021 14:55 GMT
• 4 min read

Barcelona have completed the signing of Manchester City forward Ferran Torres.

Man City will receive around €55 million up front and another €10m in add-ons for the attacker.

Torres has signed a five-year contract.

"FC Barcelona has reached an agreement with Manchester City for the transfer of Ferran Torres," an official statement read on Barca's website.

"The player has signed a contract for the next five seasons, until 30 June 2027, and his buyout clause has been set at 1 billion euros.

"On Monday 3 January, from 11.00am CET, the player's presentation as a new member of the FC Barcelona first team squad will take place in a event preceding the open doors training session at 12.00pm CET at Camp Nou. Following the training session, Ferran Torres will appear before the media in a remote press conference at the Ricard Maxenchs press room."

The 21-year-old emerged as Barcelona's primary transfer target for the January window as Xavi was keen to bolster his forward line heading into the second half of the season.

The Blaugrana are in a terrible state financially - and there had been reports earlier on Tuesday that the transfer may collapse - but they have constructed a deal that includes variables to be paid at a later date.

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With Sergio Aguero forced to retire and Luuk de Jong and Martin Braithwaite allegedly not valued as first-team players at Barca by Xavi, Barca's need for a centre-forward has been clear this campaign.

Torres signed for Man City as a winger but quickly became favoured in the False 9 role by Pep Guardiola, particularly in the 2021/22 season before he suffered a fractured foot while on international duty with Spain.

Why did Torres want to join Barcelona?

In terms of performances on the pitch, club structure, club organisation and club infrastructure, Man City and Barcelona are a million miles apart.

The Catalan side are suffering from years of extravagant spending on transfer fees and wages.

The massive deals to bring in the likes of Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho have left the club on its knees financially. In the summer, they were ordered by La Liga to drastically reduce their wage bill which is what ultimately led to Messi's exit.

Even though Xavi has brought back a feel good factor, the club are not in the same league as Man City at any level, whether it be as a football team or a business.

Torres believes that, under Xavi, the only way is up for Barca as the former midfielder attempts to claw the club back to contention for major honours, in particular the Champions League.

And, Torres was keen to be one of the faces of the Xavi revolution.

At Man City, Torres did not believe he would ever be considered one of the team's biggest stars due to the presence of the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling.

The Spaniard wanted to become a key player, and thinks Barca will give him that status.