How Barca could raise 100m to sign Torres by selling fringe players

Barcelona have reached an agreement to sign Ferran Torres from Manchester City in January, according to numerous publications close to the club.

Torres has emerged as a leading candidate to join Barca, who are seeking more firepower due to a spate of injury and health issues in their attack.

Ansu Fati is presently sidelined, while Martin Braithwaite and Sergio Aguero are long-term issues. Luuk de Jong, meanwhile, could scarcely be further from the profile of player that Xavi wants to use at the club.

Although Torres is not strictly considered a centre-forward, he has been used as a false 9 by Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium, and he could form the centrepiece of Barcelona’s new-look attack in the meantime.

Sport and Mundo Deportivo both report that Barcelona have made good progress in terms of a agreeing terms of a move with Manchester City, but as has been the case so often in recent times, their financial issues are complicating matters.

If Barcelona are to sign Torres, they will need to make room in their squad by selling off players. Otherwise, the Spain international will not be registered by La Liga.

Barca have already faced a similar headache this summer over wages. Memphis Depay and Eric Garcia nearly missed the opening game of the season as the club had to fight to get their contracts ratified by the league.

Who could Barcelona sell?

Barcelona’s squad is one that has several excess players who have not been heavily used but who could be sold on to fund moves.

This is most notable in the defence, where Samuel Umtiti appears to be on his way out of the club. FootballTransfers’ algorithm calculates the World Cup winner’s value at €12 million.

Fellow France international centre-back Clement Lenglet is another who could be offloaded. Xavi has used the defender already, suggesting that he might have a future at the club. If a club were to match his FootballTransfers’ valuation of €47m, however, Barcelona would have a hard time saying no – especially if it meant attracting a player like Torres.

Meanwhile, Philippe Coutinho is the third peripheral star who could be moved on. The Brazil international has been linked to Newcastle in January, and though it appears unlikely that he will be attracted to St James’ Park, Barcelona would dearly love the €35m he is worth.

Finally, Martin Braithwaite, who is presently sidelined, is worth €8m. The arrival of Torres would see the Denmark international pushed down the pecking order further, so any money for him would be welcomed.

In total, these sales could raise over €100m, which would easily be enough for Barcelona to fund a deal for Man City star Torres, although finding buyers in this market could prove difficult.