"We were so far ahead in the negotiations that we were looking for a home" - Agent says Barcelona attacker Ferran Torres nearly joined European giants before Manchester City switch
One of Ferran Torres' representatives has revealed that the Barcelona attacker was close to joining Serie A giants Juventus before joining Manchester City in 2020.
Barcelona signed Torres from Premier League giants Manchester City for a deal worth up to €65 million in January this year. The winger put an end to his one-and-a-half-year association with the Cityzens to move to Camp Nou.
Manchester City notably acquired the Spain international's services from Valencia for an initial sum of €23 million in the summer of 2020. The player went on to play 43 matches for the English giants, helping the team win two trophies in the process.
However, it appears Manchester City were not the only club interested in signing Torres in 2020. According to Hector Peris Ros, the CEO of the agency that represents the Spaniard, Juventus were also in talks to land the attacker.
Ros revealed that Torres was so close to joining Juventus that they even started looking for a house in Turin. The Leaderbrock Sports chief went on to disclose that Manchester City then blew the Bianconeri out of the water. He told La Gazzetta dello Sport [via Get Italian Football News]:
“It was the summer of 2020, and we knew he [Torres] would leave Valencia for a big European name. With Juve, and in particular with Fabio Paratici, we were so far ahead in the negotiations that we were looking for a home in Turin."
“But the Bianconeri were unable to meet Valencia’s request. Manchester City entered the deal, and Ferran Torres went to England, before returning to Spain, to Barcelona.”
"Ferran Torres was very close to joining Juventus. We already started looking for a house in Turin, but then the clubs didn't find an agreement."
- his agent
How has Torres fared for Barcelona?
Torres scored 16 goals and provided four assists in 43 matches for Manchester City. However, he soon sought a move away from the Etihad Stadium and joined Barcelona in January.
The former Valencia attacker put pen to paper on a five-and-a-half-year contract with the Blaugrana. However, things have not gone according to plan for him at Camp Nou so far.
Torres contributed towards eight goals in 18 La Liga appearances for Barcelona and helped them secure a top-four finish last term. The 22-year-old, though, has only clocked just 277 minutes of league action so far this season.
The arrivals of Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha in the summer have pushed him further down the pecking order at the club. It now remains to be seen if Torres can force his way into Xavi's preferred starting XI.