Aston Villa get eleventh-hour answer on Ferran Torres transfer after ‘significant’ proposal
Aston Villa have made their intentions clear to sign Ferran Torres from Barcelona.
The Villans have added Douglas Luiz and Tammy Abraham to their ranks this window but may still be on the lookout for more firepower.
Unai Emery had a long list of transfer targets heading into the winter market, and though he may have been happy to land Luiz and Abraham, the exit of Evann Guessand has left him a man short in attack.
The Spaniard opted to play the Ivorian on the right-hand side of his attack, and a charge for Torres now comes after Villa’s most recent departure.
Barcelona issue ‘not for sale’ stance on Ferran Torres after Aston Villa proposal
Aston Villa reportedly sent a £52.2million bid to Barcelona for Torres earlier on in the window, with Emery keen to land the Spanish international.
The Villans have been tracking the versatile forward for a while, with their interest in the forward stemming back to 2023.
However, their wait for Torres’ B6 arrival may have to wait until another transfer window.
- The bid consisted of £17million in add-ons
- Torres scored for Barcelona in their 3-1 win over Elche this weekend
- He now has 12 goals in 20 games in La Liga this campaign
According to Spanish outlet Fichajes on Saturday, Barcelona have now said that Torres is not for sale and have rejected Villa’s “significant” suggested bid for the 25-year-old.
The Catalonian giants see him as a crucial part of their project, and letting him go so late in the market could be costly, despite their own financial problems.
But the key takeaway was that the response was allegedly quick, which means the Villans may have already started planning for who else they could bring in before the end of the transfer window.
Emery has plenty of targets, as mentioned earlier, and with hours left of the winter window, Aston Villa could pounce on another star.
Aston Villa’s transfer trend could follow with Zavier Gozo
Villa have shown interest in plenty of youth talent in recent weeks, and Brian Madjo was a sign of Roberto Olabe’s plan for the future.
But with the Torres deal now seemingly off the cards, Villa could turn their attention to Real Salt Lake City’s Zavier Gozo.
Villa have asked about Gozo, and as of right now, there have been no further reports to suggest that a move is impossible.
The right-winger would be a much cheaper option than Torres would have ever been, and could be one to look out for in the future, if he comes to Villa Park.
This could allow Leon Bailey to have a more prominent role under Emery in the second half of the season, which would make more sense from an economic standpoint.
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