FC Barcelona know full well what is important in the back of the wardrobe, as they have a lethal attacking trident, but they keep a secret weapon on the bench. We are talking about Ferran Torres. The youngster has hit top form in the league. And he has done so with a brace of goals that has made the Barça faithful very happy.
Ferran Torres has reached the century mark of matches with the FC Barcelona shirt in the domestic competition after proving once again that he is a game changer against Atlético de Madrid. Two goals at the Metropolitano to extend the prolific season of the Valencian striker.
Despite not being a regular starter, Ferran has already played 32 matches in all competitions this season (10 of them from the start and the other 22 coming on from the bench). In those matches, he has scored a total of 13 goals, spread between La Liga (7), the Champions League (2) and the Copa del Rey (4), and has also provided three assists.
The competition is tough as the attacking trident’s numbers are indisputable. The figures of the ‘LRL’: Lewandowski (34), Raphinha (27), Lamine Yamal (12), make it hard to be a starter, but Ferran looks to the future and is postulating himself as the successor to the Polish striker. ‘I have confidence in myself and I can be the starting centre forward for FC Barcelona, why not?’ he asked rhetorically. “If the club thinks it has to look for someone else, fine, welcome, but I can handle the competition very well,” the Valencian striker emphasised a few days ago.
Ferran Torres: ‘I feel valued’
Ferran Torres said this Saturday that he feels valued by himself and by his coaches, both Hansi Flick at Barcelona and Luis de la Fuente in Spain, at the press conference prior to the second leg of the Nations League quarter-finals against the Netherlands. ‘I’m very calm, I’m a kid who works hard and I don’t set myself limits. Whenever I get minutes, wherever it may be, I make the most of them’, said the Valencian striker in the press room at Mestalla, the venue for this Sunday’s match, when asked about his limit if given the opportunity to start.
Dortmund and a swap deal
Borussia Dortmund, Barça’s rivals in the Champions League quarter-finals, have set their sights on Barça striker Ferran Torres for the upcoming summer transfer window. They see the Valencian striker as a possible replacement for Donyell Malen, who left for Aston Villa in January for 25 million euros.
The German club are considering offering the Catalans a swap deal, given the financial situation at FC Barcelona. They are considering selling Karim Adeyemi. Borussia’s directors know that Barça are looking for a left-footed winger for next season and would be willing to part with the German international, currently valued at 35 million euros (7 million euros more than Ferran).
The Premier League on the lookout for the Barça player
The German team would not be the only one on the trail of the Valencian striker. The latest information points to Manchester United, Liverpool and Aston Villa in the ‘race’ for the signing of the ‘Shark’. The striker has a contract until 2027 and a release clause of 1 billion euros, so the three teams would be willing to offer around 40 million euros for the Barça striker.
His departure from the Camp Nou is not planned but he is one of the players on the list of players to be sold if substantial offers arise that allow Barça room for manoeuvre to carry out operations during the transfer market.