Newcastle have been told what they will have to pay to sign Ferran Torres this summer after Barcelona rejected the Magpies’ ‘ridiculous’ opening offer.
Newcastle are on the lookout for a new forward this summer and have been heavily linked with a move for Raphinha.
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A report last month claimed they pulled the plug on a deal for the winger as Barcelona ‘will not be satisfied with receiving a figure less than what they had to pay’ Leeds United two years ago, while the Brazilian does ‘not seemed tempted by the possibility of landing at a team that will not be playing in the Champions League next season’.
But it was claimed on Thursday that Raphinha remains Newcastle’s ‘priority’ target as head coach Eddie Howe is ‘obsessed’ with the winger, and they are preparing an improved £44.5m bid, which would nearly satisfy Barcelona’s desire to recoup the £50m fee they paid Leeds.
Torres emerged as one of the ‘alternatives’ to Raphinha last month and the fee would be ‘considerably lower’ for the Spain international with Barcelona president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco ‘totally open to discussing an agreement’.
The Catalans are still desperate to move players on having only signed Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig so far this summer.
A report in Spain claims new manager Hansi Flick has ‘been very clear’ with Torres that he’s not in his plans and he therefore ‘must leave as soon as possible’.
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‘No team has arrived that is willing to invest the €50m’ that Barcelona want for the former City forward, who arrived from the Etihad for €55m in January 2022, with Newcastle the only team to have come forward thus far.
But their offer of €15m plus €5m in add-ons was ‘instantly rejected’ by president Joan Laporta, who deemed it ‘ridiculous’.
Torres – who has three years remaining on his current contract at the Non Camp – ‘is not making things easy’ as he remains ‘very comfortable’ at Barcelona, but as the report explains, the La Liga giants are making moves to make his transfer more attractive to Newcastle or other interested parties.
‘The lack of interest in the 24-year-old striker has made Barça forced to considerably lower its claims, to facilitate his possible farewell.
‘And Laporta and Deco would now be willing to negotiate from the 30 million, an amount that they expect to generate much more interest, and that they will not take long to receive calls from Ferran.’
Newcastle are also looking to add a centre-back to their ranks this summer and have identified Crystal Palace star Marc Guess as their top target.
