Agent claims Barcelona rejected the chance to sign World Cup winner for €20m and signed Ferran Torres instead

Football agent Josep Maria Minguella recently revealed that he offered Barcelona the chance to sign Julian Alvarez for just €20 million. However, the Blaugrana rejected this and opted to sign Ferran Torres for €60 million instead.

Barcelona had the option to sign Julian Alvarez during the 2021-22 season when he plied his trade as a forward for River Plate at the time. Even though he was unproven at the highest level at the time, the Argentine forward had all the attributes to be a world-class forward.

Minguella offered Alvarez to the Blaugrana for an affordable transfer fee, but they decided to play it safe and sign Ferran Torres.

He said (via Managing Barca):

“I offered Julian Alvarez to FC Barcelona for €20M (to be paid in 5 installments), but they rejected it & instead signed Ferran Torres for €60M.”

Torres left Manchester City in December 2021 to join the 2022–23 La Liga champions on a five-year deal with a release clause of €1 billion.

Unfortunately, the 23-year-old has had an inconsistent tenure so far, only scoring 14 goals and providing nine assists in 71 appearances.

Julian Alvarez had to wait a year longer to get his opportunity to shine in Europe. The 23-year-old joined Premier League champions Manchester City on a five-and-a-half-year contract.

Despite playing a support role for Erling Haaland, Alvarez had a phenomenal 2022–23 season. He scored 17 goals and provided five assists in 49 appearances across all competitions, helping the Cityzens win a historic treble.

He also helped Argentina win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in December, scoring four goals and giving one assist. Barcelona also had a successful season, winning two trophies. However, they would be kicking themselves for letting go of a potential future superstar.

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Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez will play a key role in Ferran Torres plan: Reports

According to SPORT, Barcelona are expecting interest from clubs in Europe to sign Ferran Torres this summer. However, Xavi Hernandez will have to play the key role of convincing him to move, as the 23-year-old reportedly wants to stay at the Spotify Camp Nou.

Torres faces a very uncertain future in Catalonia. He struggled with inconsistency and reported mental health issues, as he only scored seven goals and provided three assists in 45 appearances last season.

As per Diario Sport, the Blaugrana are unlikely to sell the Spaniard this summer, as they want at least €40 million to avoid a complete loss. Instead, they are willing to loan him out with a purchase option next summer.

The Spain international is unlikely to be in the starting XI next season, and Xavi Hernandez and Co. don't want his value to drop any further by not playing. But the issue is that Torres is unwilling to leave; hence, Xavi will need to convince him to move on this summer.