A nice dinner with a bottle of good wine and a firm handshake – a deal is done! Ferran Torres will switch Manchester City with Barcelona in January, just over a year after he signed from Valencia, replacing club’s legend David Silva. The young midfielder was the most important (but not the only) subject of conversation between Citizens boss Pep Guardiola and Barca’s executives Mateu Alemany and Ferran Reverter. The player expressed his wish to join the Catalonians and his current boss, and former Barca player and coach won’t stand in his way. If…Manchester City’s Ferran Torres is ‘keen’ on a proposed transfer to Barcelona in January, reports @SamLee pic.twitter.com/gZaNxwgb9m— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 26, 2021 When Barcelona and money are involved, there is always ‘if’ or ‘but’. Since the Spanish giants revealed their debts, the situation is desperate and whatever they do, or more precisely want to do, they have a certain condition: yes, ‘but’, or yes ‘if’. And off course, the situation with Torres is the same. Yes, the deal has been agreed in principle around 10 days ago, but Barcelona can sign the player if they provide the funds. And if Barca had the money, this article wouldn’t exist. But, the Catalonians are cash strapped and can buy only if they sell some players.Xavi gets a green light for massive January transfer signingsSo, Torres was brought from Valencia for around 3 billion Ksh, and City thinks that his value is much higher, after only one season with the Citizens, so they are estimating him at around 9 billion Ksh. Barcelona are currently in a situation where they can sign players in January, or cannot sign nobody, depending the reports you are reading. Even Barca’s Alemany, the same one who agreed the Torres transfer said just 20 days ago, that currently his club will not be able to sign anybody in January, but things could chance by the end of December.Umtiti’s troubles on the pitch, off it and outside the stadiumThe only tactics which Barcelona is trying now is to somehow low the price for Torres. And since they are negotiating with one of the world’s most wealthiest clubs, it’s not easy. According to reports from Spain, Barcelona is trying to get a player exchange into the operation: Torres for another player and money. And they offered several names: Coutinho, Umtiti, Lenglet and Dembele, which is funny, because those are the players who are either near the end of their contract and don’t want to renew, or are surplus to requirements or are injury prone.Forget Sterling and Adeyemi, Barca cannot buy anybody in JanuaryAnd the idea that club such is City will accept any of there players is hilarious. Off course, the Citizens refused such an offer, but made a counter offer: Torres for money and Fati or Pedri, which is obviously out of the question. Guardiola needs funds to try to lure Haaland or some other great striker in June, and they don’t need to stockpile players, unless it’s Fati or Pedri. So, we are back at the beginning: Barcelona can buy Torres, if they find the money, but they cannot do it now, because they don’t have the money.
