Ferran Torres left Manchester City to join Barcelona in January 2022, just 18 months after signing for the Sky Blues, but his agent revealed he nearly joined Juventus before making the switch to the Etihad Stadium in 2020.
The 22-year-old made 43 appearances in all competitions for City, scoring 16 goals with four assists, but he wanted out of the club midway through his second season and returned to Spain.
Hector Peris Ros said Torres “was very close” to signing for Juve and was looking for a new house in Turin, but City ended up hijacking the move after the deal fell through.
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He told Gazzetta dello Sport via Sport Witness: “I felt I owed Juve for Ferran Torres. Summer 2020, Torres was due to leave Valencia and was very close to Juve. We were even already looking for a house in Turin. Then the two clubs didn’t agree and Torres went to City, before returning to Spain, to Barça.”
Torres has gone on to make 38 appearances in all competitions for Barca, scoring nine goals with seven assists, so he’s not been the most prolific back in Spain. This season, the 22-year-old has scored two goals with one assist from 12 games, so Juve might feel they’ve dodged a bullet.
Pep Guardiola has Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Bernardo Silva, Julian Alvarez and Riyad Mahrez who can operate out wide, so he’ll feel he has enough in Torres’ absence. Juventus have Angel Di Maria, Juan Cuadrado and Filip Kostic, so they have quality on the flanks.
In other news, injury boost as John Stones returns to training ahead of Brighton clash
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