Ferran Torres: A loan may be Barcelona's solution

There will be sales as the market progresses. They are absolutely necessary to comply with the salary limit. Barça are working on the options of Lenglet, Kessié and, perhaps, Abde, completely ruling out a departure for Ansu Fati and leaving the door open for Ferran Torres to go, although his transfer out on a permanent basis is considered impossible. With the former Manchester City player, the club is working on a loan move, with an option to buy in the hope that he can raise his value elsewhere.

This summer, the Blaugrana would be forced to sell him for more than 40 million euros if they do not want to make a loss on a player who arrived for 55 million from Manchester City. Something very unlikely unless there is an unexpected offer from Saudi Arabia, and the player agrees to go to that league, something outlandish to tell the truth.

Barça are keeping Ferran Torres on the market for several reasons: firstly, they want to save a significant wage fee. Secondly, because Xavi is not going to count on him much and his value could be devalued even more and thirdly, because the only option for everything to end well in the future is that Ferran has minutes as a protagonist in a team that bets on him and can show the quality he has inside.

Both the player and his entourage already know what the story is, but for now they have preferred to look the other way. His intention is to carry out the complete pre-season with Barça to convince Xavi that he can be a useful player, so that the coach approves his stay, as he once approved a big bucks purchase by personally betting on his arrival. 

Anything is possible in the world of football, but Barça's economic situation does not leave much room for adventure. And for Xavi, the big three up front will be Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Ousmane Dembélé. Ansu will have one last chance and it looks like Vitor Roque will arrive in January. If we add Abde and the bet on Lamine Yamal, the chance for Ferran to have minutes is more than reduced. And even more so if Xavi continues to play with four in the middle to maintain defensive solidity.

There are some interesting weeks ahead, but Barça have already started to look at options for Ferran to go out on loan and have found that, in that case, there are teams of a very high level that could bet on the player. Some clubs in Spain, some Italian sides, teams in the Premier League mid-table and some German outfits. There will be offers, but the important thing will be to convince the player to agree to leave and return in 2024. For now they have not managed to do so and Xavi will have to play a fundamental role here.