Barcelona's pursuit of Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been boosted after the Spanish club completed the sale of Ferran Torres to Paris Saint-Germain. The move could provide the funds needed to meet City's valuation for the Spain international.
Ferran Torres completes PSG move
Paris Saint-Germain announced on Saturday that Torres has signed a five-year deal with the reigning European champions. The forward scored the winning goal in the World Cup final for Spain against Argentina.
Neither club provided financial details, but it has been widely reported that Barcelona will receive £42.75million for the forward, who will wear the No9 shirt at the Parc des Princes.
Rodri transfer saga
The departure of Torres leaves Barcelona needing a replacement, amid links to Julian Alvarez. However, their top priority is Rodri, having already seen two bids rejected by Man City for the Spain World Cup winner.
According to Sky Sports, Man City turned down an offer of £55m from the LaLiga champions earlier in the week. City are said to be seeking upwards of £60m for the 30-year-old midfielder, who has entered the final year of his deal.
Barcelona can now accelerate plans to sign Rodri by using the funds brought in from Torres' sale to PSG to meet City's valuation.
Maresca on Rodri's future
Rodri was back at Man City on Friday after an extended post-World Cup holiday, in addition to undergoing minor back surgery. Speaking in the pre-Arsenal press conference, Enzo Maresca delivered an update on the Spaniard's future.
“First of all, the transfer window is open,” the Man City boss told reporters. “We can buy players, we can sell players, anything can happen. I just saw Rodri now in the building, I gave him a big hug. He looks good, so we’ll see what happens. Now we will have time to see each other a little bit more.”
Potential replacements
Man City are said to have targeted Ayyoub Bouaddi and Enzo Fernandez to replace Rodri, in the event the midfielder does leave before the summer transfer window closes next month. However, City missed Chelsea’s imposed deadline to make an £120m offer for Fernandez, so it remains to be seen if an alternative has been lined up or if the club plan to test the Blues’ resolve.
