Two reasons why Xavi wants Man City’s Ferran Torres at Barcelona

Reports of Barcelona’s pursuit of Manchester City star Ferran Torres have been gathering steam quite a bit since Friday.

While it was initially believed that the Catalans were keen on signing Raheem Sterling, it turns out that the club had their eyes on the former Valencia man, who has impressed a great deal since joining Manchester City last year in a €25 million deal.

In his short time at the Etihad Stadium, Torres has scored 14 goals and created four more from a total of 43 matches. While he is primarily a right-winger, the 21-year-old has demonstrated great versatility at City and with the Spanish national team, slotting in any position in the final third.

Indeed, Torres has constantly shown that he is capable of playing out wide on the right or the left flank while there have been occasions that he has done the job as a centre-forward. The young Spaniard has also displayed an understanding of fine technical nuances to play as a false nine in Guardiola’s setup at Manchester City.

His versatility and flexibility are believed to be one of the major reasons Xavi wants to sign the Valencia academy product, reports Fichajes. It is no secret that Barcelona have suffered due to injuries this season, with Ousmane Dembele, Ansu Fati, Martin Braithwaite and Sergio Aguero all spending significant time out on the sidelines.

Having a player of Torres’ versatility would ensure the manager has quality depth across the frontline, allowing him to use the Man City star as and where needed, depending on the situation.

The second reason why the 41-year-old is keen on bringing the youngster to Camp Nou is that he believes that Torres will not take a lot of time to adapt to his ideas and philosophy. Xavi wants to indoctrinate a style largely similar to what the Catalans employed when he was still a player.

The fact that Torres has been training under two ex-Barcelona managers in Guardiola at City and Luis Enrique with Spain means that the 21-year-old already has good exposure to the tactics and ideas that Xavi wants to develop within his team, which would enable him to adapt quicker.

Barcelona are said to have a total agreement with the young forward, but they have yet to work out an arrangement with Manchester City over a transfer in January.