Barcelona transfer news: New club to rival Arsenal, Aston Villa in race for attacker?

Since the arrival of Hansi Flick during the summer, Barcelona have transformed into the standout team in La Liga.

A total of 10 wins have been recorded from their opening 11 league games during 2024-25, the most recent a famous 4-0 victory over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Saturday evening.

Torres was unable to feature in that fixture courtesy of the hamstring injury that he sustained earlier this month, yet the 24-year-old has been far from a regular under Flick.

On just one occasion - in the 4-2 defeat at Osasuna - has Torres played for more than 64 minutes in a La Liga fixture, while he has accumulated just 330 minutes of football in the division this season.

As a result, Barcelona are allegedly open to cashing in on the Spain international in an effort to bolster their financial position.

Interest to come from Spanish rivals?

In recent months, the likes of Arsenal and Aston Villa have been credited with an interest in a player who has already played in the Premier League with Manchester City.

Furthermore, according to Fichajes, Torres would be allowed to leave Barcelona should they receive an offer in the region of €25m (£20.8m).

While that may prove to be appealing to the aforementioned duo, it is suggested that Atletico Madrid are also monitoring the situation.

The report claims that manager Diego Simeone has identified Torres as a player who he feels is 'perfect' for his system.

Simeone was allowed to pay big money for Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth during the summer, yet Atletico have performed inconsistently since they significantly tinkered with their squad.

Atletico already sit 10 points adrift of Barcelona in the La Liga table having won just five of their opening 11 matches.

Why a transfer is likely at some stage

Unless Torres extends his contract past 2027, Barcelona officials will be assessing the situation during each transfer window in order to maximise the fee that they are able to recoup.

Raphinha is no longer considered for sale having emerged as one of the club's most important players under Flick's management, increasing the chances of a Torres exit.

With just 12 starts coming in La Liga in 2024-25, Torres has not been in favour for nearly 18 months, and that appears unlikely to change in the short term.