Barcelona, Aug 13 (IANS) World Cup hero Ferran Torres is edging closer to a move to European champions Paris Saint-Germain with the confirmation that he has yet to return to training with FC Barcelona.
The scorer of the winning goal in the 2026 World Cup final was due to report back to start training with Barcelona on Wednesday, but the 26-year-old was permitted by the club not to return.
There was no sign of Torres either on Thursday, as he continues to negotiate his future with PSG at the same time as the two clubs are discussing his transfer fee, reports Xinhua.
Torres has one year left on his current contract with FC Barcelona and the club would prefer to sell him now rather than see him walk away on a free transfer at the end of June.
It’s rumoured in the Spanish press that the fee would be between 40 and 50 million euros (46-57.5 million US dollars), and Barcelona would need to sign a replacement, given that Torres’ departure, along with Robert Lewandowski’s contract ending in June, leaves the club without a specialist centre-forward.
While Torres has permission to miss training, several other Barcelona players, including midfielder Marc Casado and defenders Hector Fort and Jofre Torrents, are training apart from the main squad as the club looks for a new destination for them.
Casado is thought to be a target for clubs in the Saudi Pro League and would also command a fee of around 40 million euros, while Fort has been linked with a possible return to Elche after spending last season there on loan.
In the previous 2025/26 La Liga season, FC Barcelona won their second consecutive league title under manager Hansi Flick, sealing the trophy in May 2026 with an El Clasico victory over Real Madrid and finishing 14 points clear at the top. They will start their campaign in 2026-27 on August 24 against Elche.
–IANS
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