Killing two birds with one stone: Torres departure hands Barcelona a double gain

Barcelona have made significant financial gains from the departure of their striker Ferran Torres to Paris Saint-Germain. Freeing up considerable space in their wage budget gives them extra room to manoeuvre during the final days of the transfer window.

According to the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia: "The Catalan club announced the transfer of Ferran Torres to Paris Saint-Germain in exchange for receiving 48.8 million euros, alongside freeing up around 20 million euros of the wage space allocated for registering new players."

The 26-year-old Spain striker has signed a contract with the French club until 2031, and will wear the number 9 shirt.

It is a double financial boost. Barcelona pocket the sale proceeds while ridding themselves of the obligations tied to the contract of a player with only one year left, which had threatened his departure on a free transfer in the summer of 2027.

Barcelona signed Torres from Manchester City in December 2021 for a fixed 55 million euros, plus 10 million euros in variables. The club never paid those variables, which were tied to tough objectives such as winning the Champions League or the player being crowned with the Ballon d'Or.

Valencia, the first club of Torres's career, will pick up close to one million euros from the deal as a beneficiary of a percentage linked to training rights, according to the same source.

Torres scored 21 goals for Barcelona last season. His tally with the Catalan side reached 65 in 207 matches, and over five seasons he won three La Liga titles, the Copa del Rey and two Spanish Super Cups with the club.