Barcelona close in on Torres transfer and hope to block Man Utd’s Dembele swoop by offering him big-money deal

MANCHESTER CITY man Ferran Torres is nearing a move to Barcelona according to reports, with the Catalans also keen to tie down Ousmane Dembele to a new deal.

New boss Xavi is a big fan of Torres, and also wants to fend off interest from Manchester United for wide-man Dembele.

GettyTorres joined Man City for a bargain £20m in 2020[/caption]

GettyDembele has played just 55 minutes of La Liga football this season[/caption]

Torres, 21, is Barcelona’s ‘great goal’ for the January window with a deal ‘approaching’ an agreement, according to Mundo Deportivo.

The City man is valued at around £50million, with Barcelona currently offering £38million.

And with not a great distance between the two figures Camp Nou chiefs, and Torres himself, are ‘optimistic’ that a deal can be struck in January.

Pep Guardiola has stressed in the past that he will not keep players at the Etihad against their will – and Torres is believed to be interested in the move back home.

It just remains to be seen how much the Catalans are willing to offer, with the cash-strapped club in mounds of debt.

Dembele meanwhile is out-of-contract at Barcelona in the summer and attracting interest from the red side of Manchester.

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Xavi sees Dembele as one of the ‘best players in the world’ and has listed a new contract for him as a priority.

Discussions are ongoing, with an increased offer submitted last week in a bid to tie Dembele down before the New Year.

Journalist Gerard Romero reported that the mega-money package was worth up to around £10million-per-year in an attempt to lure Dembele into signing.

That works out at close to a whopping £200,000-per-week.

Dembele is officially allowed to begin negotiations from January 1 with overseas clubs regarding a pre-contract agreement.

Earlier this month it was reported that the Red Devils were ‘closing in’ on the Frenchman.

Newcastle are also circling, with Dembele’s agent advising him not to sign a new deal with Barcelona.

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