- 6 hours ago
EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal turned down Barcelona winger Torres
Arsenal were offered Ferran Torres in the summer but the Premier League outfit turned down a move, FootballTransfers can reveal.
Barcelona are looking to offload the former Manchester City winger as they try to free up funds, and we have been informed that they offered Torres to Arsenal this summer.
However, Mikel Arteta said no and there are, at this stage, no plans to revisit a move for Torres in the January window.
Torres joined Man City from Valencia for €33.5 million in 2020 and after spending two seasons at the Etihad Stadium, scoring 16 goals in 43 matches, he made the move to Barcelona, with the Spanish side paying €55m for his services.
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Torres has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €31.5m and he is out of contract at the Camp Nou in 2027.
He played in Barcelona’s La Liga win over Alaves on Sunday but was only on the pitch a few minutes before being forced off with a hamstring problem. It's thought that Torres will be out for several weeks.
Raheem Sterling joined instead
Despite rejecting a move for Torres this summer, Arsenal were keen to add a new winger to their ranks and after missing out on Nico Williams, they signed Raheem Sterling on loan from Chelsea.
The ex-England international was banished from the first-team set-up at Stamford Bridge by new boss Enzo Maresca and he secured a season-long move loan to Arsenal on Transfer Deadline Day.
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As revealed by FootballTransfers, Arsenal stepped up their pursuit of the winger during the final week of the window and were able to finalise a loan deal for the former Man City winger.
Arteta said previously of the veteran: “You have to be alert and prepared because a lot of surprises can come. We will be ready.
"My time with Raheem was exceptional. We built a really strong relationship together. He was unbelievable at the time we were together. He taught me a lot as well, about individuals, how they - players - think and how we support them. He is someone I have really strong feelings about."