Barcelona happy to lose €30 million on transfer flop

Tom Weber

• Updated: 24 Apr 2023 15:12 BST
• 3 min read

Ferran Torres' time at Barcelona could be coming to an end as the club are reportedly happy to take a massive loss to get the player off their books.

The Blaugrana had high expectations for their big-money January 2022 arrival, but the Spaniard has not managed to live up to the hype. Having been signed from Manchester City for the sizeable sum of €55 million, Torres was billed as a player that could help Barcelona get back to their scintillating best.

But while the Blaugrana are finally back on top of LaLiga and on the verge of winning their first league title since 18/19, this has been largely accomplished without Torres, who has been reduced to something of a peripheral figure. Indeed, though the 23-year-old has made 27 appearances in LaLiga this season, the majority of his minutes have come as a substitute.

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The winger has simply been too ineffective in front of goal for head coach Xavi's linking. In 65 total games played for Barcelona, Torres has merely hit 14 goals and eight assists - at Manchester City, he managed to score two more goals in just 43 outings. Now, reports suggest that he could be on his way out for a cut price.

A loss of €30m

According to AS journalist Javi Miguel, Barcelona are prepared to offload Torres and their asking price seems ridiculously low: €25m. If any offer in that region comes in, claims Miguel, the Blaugrana are ready to sell. This would see Barcelona take a loss of €30m on a player who is just 23 years old and still has lots of potential.

It does, however, also make sense on some level. Barcelona need to generate cash and massively trim down their expenses in order to balance the books. Some €200m will have to be shaved off their wage bild to comply with LaLiga's Financial Fair Play regulations for next season and to have hope of being able to afford Lionel Messi.

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Moreover, with Frenkie de Jong - one of their biggest assets - considered 'untouchable' this summer, they have to sell the likes of Torres to generate revenue. It's a sign of Barcelona's recent mismanagement that they are more than happy to record a massive loss on a talent in order to get themselves out of a hole they dug themselves.