Report: The inside story of Ferran Torres’ falling out with Barcelona leading to PSG transfer

Report: The inside story of Ferran Torres’ falling out with Barcelona leading to PSG transfer As Barcelona look to take on Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League tonight, all eyes will be on Ferran Torres. The forward was expected to play a key role for Barça in the new season after Robert Lewandowski’s exit, but a fallout with the management, saw him ultimately depart the club and join PSG . A recent report from AS has given a detailed inside view of how Ferran eventually fell out with the Barcelona board. Deco never saw Ferran as the future The report states that sporting director Deco played a central role to Ferran’s saga as he was never convinced that the Spaniard was Barcelona’s long-term answer at number nine. Deco consistently declined to prioritise an extension. Part of the reasoning was financial, as any renewal would have triggered an additional €8 million payment to Manchester City. But beyond that, he simply did not view Ferran as the striker to build around. Ferran left Barcelona for PSG in the summer. (Photo by Franco Arland/Getty Images) There was also a political dimension at play. Ferran had always been a signing championed by Mateu Alemany, who had tracked him since his Valencia days and enjoyed a strong relationship with the player’s agent, Hector Peris. With the rapport between Deco and Alemany known to be far from smooth, that association appears to have counted against the forward. Left waiting until it was too late In keeping with his philosophy that renewals should be settled in the penultimate year of a contract, Deco tied down the players he deemed essential and left Ferran until last. Barcelona hinted there was still time, suggesting they would sit down with his representatives in September or later in the autumn. That call, however, never came. As offers mounted on the table, Ferran eventually gave the green light to open talks with PSG, a negotiation that proved straightforward and was wrapped up on August 15 for close to €50 million , funds Barça promptly used to help land Rodri. Deco never saw Ferran as a key player for Barcelona. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) A painful goodbye to a fan favourite Having arrived as a versatile 21-year-old, Ferran reinvented himself as a centre-forward under Hansi Flick, ultimately usurping a fading Lewandowski to claim a starting berth and the affection of the supporters. Across four and a half years he racked up 207 appearances, 65 goals and a haul of trophies including two LaLiga titles. His comments on arriving in Paris, hailing PSG as the best team in Europe, were taken as a slight back in Catalonia, though that was never his intention. In fact, his final goal for the club, on May 10, helped secure a league title and came against Real Madrid. Few players have left Barcelona in quite such fashion, and tonight he returns as the opponent.