Barca admit they still can’t register €65m Ferran Torres
Robin Bairner
- 8 Jan 2022 20:35 GMT
- 3 min read
New Barcelona signing Ferran Torres could have to wait a little longer before he can play for the club, with complications over his registration ongoing.
Signed for €55 million (plus €10m more in potential bonuses) from Manchester City at the beginning of the January transfer window, he would have been unable to make his debut on Saturday in a 1-1 draw against Granada even if he had not been struck with a Covid-19 infection.
Barcelona need to make space on their payroll to allow the forward to be registered, just as they needed to make room to sign Dani Alves, who arrived as a free agent.
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Offloading Philippe Coutinho on loan to Aston Villa has freed up a portion of their budget, but the club have now admitted that is insufficient. The Premier League side, after all, will not be paying the Brazil star’s full wage, with Barca still expected to foot a €4 million bill for the ex-Liverpool and Inter man until the end of the season.
Following Saturday’s draw, director of football Mateu Alemany admitted the stark fact: “With Coutinho gone, we don't have enough Financial Fair Play to register Ferran Torres, but we have other operations going on.”
Where do Barca turn now?
One of Barcelona’s ongoing operations is to get Ousmane Dembele to sign a new deal, which would include a pay cut for the winger. However, this appears to be a long shot, with the France star eager for a significant pay rise, according to reports.
There are other fringe players who could be moved on, however. Foremost among these is Samuel Umtiti, who commands a large wage and who has been peripheral for months due to injury problems and a lack of form. He has been linked with a move to Newcastle.
Talk of Frenkie de Jong leaving the club, meanwhile, has quietened. Nevertheless, if no other movement takes place before the end of the window, Barca may need to reassess their plans.
The Catalans’ public nature of their plight works against them, though. Buying clubs are acutely aware of their need for money and can, therefore, drive a hard bargain.
Deals, though, surely will be done as it would be a humiliation for Barcelona to spend so big on Ferran Torres only for him to sit out half a season on the bench.
