Arsenal think they’ve got a real chance of signing ‘world-class’ £47m player, Guardiola loves him – journalist
Journalist Dean Jones has told GiveMeSport that Arsenal think they’ve got a real chance of signing Barcelona star Ferran Torres – a player Pep Guardiola loves.
Mikel Arteta looked set to bolster his attacking options in January and after Gabriel Jesus’ injury, it now looks like a foregone conclusion.
The Brazilian striker is facing up to three-months on the sidelines after picking up a knee injury at the World Cup, leaving Arteta with just Eddie Nketiah as the only senior striker in the squad.
The Gunners have been linked with a host of strikers since the Jesus news broke and Sport Bild claimed just last week that Arteta is eyeing a move for former Manchester City star Torres.
The Spaniard only completed a switch to Camp Nou back in January but he has found game time hard to come by under Xavi. Now, Jones claims that Arsenal sense they could have an opportunity to land the ‘world-class’ forward after a difficult period in La Liga.
Arsenal got a real chance of signing Torres
Jones claims that Arsenal are huge admirers of Torres and actually asked about the possibility of signing him over the summer.
The 22-year-old is currently struggling to break into Barca’s side after the club brought in Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski in the last transfer window. And the Gunners feel they could lure him to the Emirates as a result.
“They really like Ferran Torres, and they clearly believe he might become available because they inquired about him in the summer as well,” Jones told GiveMeSport.
“So, if they’re sniffing around him again now, they sense that something’s up.”
Torres impressed for Spain at the World Cup despite their shock exit in the last-16 to Morocco. The youngster bagged two goals and four appearances for Luis Enrique’s side but is likely to face being back amongst the substitutes when he returns to Camp Nou.
The Spaniard would undoubtedly be a brilliant addition to Arteta’s squad and has worked with the Arsenal boss during their time in Manchester.
Torres didn’t really manage to nail down a place in City’s starting line-up during his stint in the Premier League but Guardiola was a huge fan of him nonetheless.
The youngster put in some eye-catching displays for the Citizens and Guardiola labelled him a ‘fantastic’ player after he bagged a hat-trick against Newcastle back in May 2021.
Of course, a deal for Torres will not come cheap after Barca paid City around £47 million for him just a year ago. But if there’s a deal to be done and Arsenal can reach an agreement over his price-tag, he seems like the perfect fit for Arteta’s side.
Torres is capable of playing effectively in every role across the front-three and the Spaniard would add some much-needed quality depth to Arsenal’s frontline.
