Arsenal are reportedly among a number of clubs interested in Ferran Torres, with the Gunners plotting a £25 million summer move for the Valencia sensation.
Likely to be hit by a restricted transfer budget, Daily Mail have reported that Unai Emery is considering a summer swoop for Ferran Torres to reinforce his attack ahead of the new season. The Valencia winger is not only being tailed by Arsenal but is also on the radar of clubs like Atletico Madrid, Leicester City and Borussia Dortmund.
The report states that Unai Emery is aware he will have little to spend after their Europa League final defeat to Chelsea meant no Champions League football for the 2019-20 campaign. This has led Arsenal to drop their idea of pursuing the expensive Wilfried Zaha and instead shift their focus to the Valencia starlet.
Ferran Torres has managed to break through at Valencia in the 2018-19 campaign and has established himself as a regular under Marcelino. The 19-year-old has 24 appearances in La Liga alone this season and has impressed with his ability at such a nascent age. Torres also became the second player born at the turn of the millennium to score in La Liga, behind Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior.
While his return is modest at best, with only 2 goals and an assist in La Liga this season, Ferran Torres has contributed much more in terms of work-rate and vision. His performances and potential has seen him draw interest from top European clubs like Arsenal, Dortmund, Leicester and Atletico Madrid.
Leicester City have enough options out wide. But, Brendan Rodgers could be set to give the squad his own shape in what will be his first transfer window as the manager at King Power Stadium. Atletico Madrid do not have any alternative to Angel Correa on the right wing and could use Torres as a rotation option therein.
Dortmund seem stacked in attack in all areas and have already agreed to sign Thorgan Hazard from local rivals Gladbach. But, the club is always on the lookout for bright young gems and could engineer a move for Torres, should he be available in the transfer window.
Arsenal have many positions to fill and are reportedly set to be handed only £45 million excluding player sales to do so. Unai Emery thus, will have to look at economical deals, which, as per the report, justifies their pursuit of Ferran Torres, who is likely to command a fee of £25 million.
Although £25 million is still a large portion of the aforementioned transfer budget, Torres will come cheaper compared to other transfer targets like Wilfried Zaha. But, Arsenal’s failure to qualify for the 2019-20 Champions League could prove to be a stumbling block in their bid to convince Torres to leave Valencia, who will be privy to the aforementioned.
So far, Arsenal are only monitoring the 19-year-old. But, we could see Unai Emery instructing the club to go in for Ferran Torres, who at this very young age, has already shown a pedigree for the big stage by performing at a consistent level for a club like Valencia.
