Manchester City 'slammed door' in Barcelona's face after attempt to sign first-team star: Reports
Barcelona and Manchester City's transfers were the subject of unending speculation during the summer transfer window. The two clubs moved forward to complete a couple of deals between them but there was one move in particular that failed to materialize.
According to reports, Barcelona tried to lure one of Manchester City's brightest prospects, Ferran Torres, from the Etihad Stadium. The Spanish giants were short of options in attack following the departure of key figures and injury setbacks and were convinced Torres would be a good fit.
Barcelona tried to sign Ferran Torres from #ManCity in the summer, but never came close. The La Liga club 'studied formulas to defer payments' due to economic problems. In addition to financial problems, Barca were met with a 'resounding no' from Pep Guardiola.
[via @tjuanmarti]
However, the Premier League champions slammed the door on the Catalan giants as they maintained a no-sale stance on the attacker. Pep Guardiola is said to value the player's potential and expects Torres to develop into a world-class superstar at the club.
It has been claimed that Barcelona's terrible financial situation also served as a stumbling block to the transfer. As per Transfermarkt, the winger has a market value of €50 million, which the club clearly cannot afford at that moment.
No striker? No problem.
Ferran Torres is on the scoresheet for Manchester City once again ⚽️ https://t.co/Mf92kCaDEu
Meanwhile, Ferran Torres isn't the only player the Blaugrana tried to prise away from the Etihad Stadium during the summer transfer window. Sources have revealed that they also made attempts to sign the likes of Aymeric Laporte, Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva but fell short due to their financial constraints.
Barcelona signed two Manchester City players this summer
Despite missing out on the aforementioned names, Barcelona still managed to lure two Manchester City players to the Camp Nou in the summer. Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia both departed the Etihad Stadium to join the Catalan giants as free agents.
Garcia is off to a brilliant start to life at Camp Nou. He has represented the Catalans in four games so far across La Liga and the Champions League, recording a total of 329 minutes on the pitch.
Meanwhile, Aguero is yet to get his Barcelona career underway, with an injury setback keeping him out of action. The Argentine has returned to light training this week and is projected to return to the pitch sometime in October.