According to a report from SPORT, it has come to light that Atletico Madrid are monitoring the situation of Barcelona forward Ferran Torres with keen interest.
The outlet mentions that the Barcelona attacker remains highly appreciated by several figures within Atletico’s structure, but perhaps nobody values him more than sporting director Mateu Alemany.
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Notably, it was Alemany himself who played a key role in bringing the Spanish international to Barcelona during his previous spell at the club.
Now, Atletico continue to follow Ferran’s situation carefully despite there currently being no advanced negotiations between the two clubs.
Atletico Madrid see Ferran as perfect fit
The outlet mentions that Ferran is viewed as an ideal profile for Diego Simeone because of the qualities he brings without the ball as much as with it.
Ferran is capable of operating across multiple attacking positions, whether centrally or from wider areas, while also offering the aggressive pressing, mobility and defensive work rate that Simeone demands from his forwards.
Atletico Madrid are interested in Ferran Torres. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
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Even though the Spaniard has not always been an automatic starter at Barcelona, his numbers this season have remained solid, scoring 21 goals and two assists.
Ferran is happy at Barcelona
The operation, as things stand, remains complicated because neither Barcelona nor Ferran currently appear eager to separate.
The forward continues to feel important within the squad, while Barcelona themselves are entering a delicate moment offensively as they prepare for life after Robert Lewandowski.
The Polish striker is approaching the final stage of his Barcelona career, and the Catalan club are already actively searching for a long-term replacement in the market.
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Could be central to Barcelona’s plans
One of the names admired most is Julian Alvarez, but Atletico Madrid have no intention of making negotiations easy.
Ferran Torres does not want to leave Barcelona. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
The club understand that signing Alvarez would require a massive investment that currently looks extremely difficult to complete.
This is why they explored alternatives such as Joao Pedro, although even those deals remain financially complicated at this stage.
Now, if Lewandowski departs this summer, Ferran would effectively become the only recognised striker at Barcelona and losing him without first securing a replacement would create a sporting problem for Hansi Flick.
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At the same time, there is growing speculation that Barcelona could eventually explore using Ferran as part of the operation to reduce the cost of a potential Alvarez deal.
However, the problem is that Atletico remain keen on keeping the Argentine rather than negotiating creative swap arrangements.
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