"We will not pay 50 million": PSG imposes its terms on Barcelona in the Torres deal
For the sake of pride
Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona have reached a final agreement to complete the transfer of Spanish forward Ferran Torres to the Parc des Princes.
According to the Spanish newspaper Sport, Barcelona had begun by demanding around 60 million euros. They ended up accepting a sum close to 50 million, the figure PSG offered definitively during arduous negotiations.
PSG, who initially wanted to pay a maximum of 40 million, threatened to walk away. They argued they had already settled the player's future and that he would leave for free in a year's time.
Out of pride, the Parisian club refused to hit the 50 million euro mark, despite having already banked a total of 159 million euros from sales this summer.
The newspaper noted that PSG were fully aware of Barcelona's urgent need to sell and of their complete control over the player's future. So they insisted on a final offer, which reached Barcelona on Wednesday and included some fine details.
Variables in that final offer were ultimately converted into fixed amounts, but with an intriguing condition: the total figure should not reach 50 million euros. The final sum comes very close to it.
Barcelona signed off on the deal by treating it as good business, given the saving on the player's salary, the income and the net profit his departure generates. This sale is decisive for registering the new signings made so far this summer.
From the outset, Barcelona knew the talks would be difficult once they decided to sell Ferran Torres, a player coach Hansi Flick never considered a strategic option.
Even so, there were hopes that PSG would push with all their might from the start to close the deal quickly. But the management in Paris has changed a great deal since Luis Campos arrived as sporting director.
PSG's challenge is to conclude the transfer market with a positive financial balance. They are chasing every saving they can and pushing hard on prices, now that the era of lavish spending has ended amid strict oversight under financial fair play.
