MADRID, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- World Cup hero Ferran Torres is edging closer to a move to European champions Paris Saint-Germain with the confirmation that he has still to return to training with FC Barcelona.
The scorer of the winning goal in the 2026 World Cup final was due to report back to start training with Barcelona on Wednesday, but the 26-year-old was given permission by the club not to return.
There was no sign of Torres either on Thursday as he continues to negotiate his future with PSG at the same time as the two clubs are discussing his transfer fee.
Torres has one year left on his current contract with FC Barcelona and the club would prefer to sell him now rather than see him walk away on a free transfer at the end of June.
It's rumored in the Spanish press that the fee would be between 40 and 50 million euros (46-57.5 million US dollars), which Barcelona would need to sign a replacement, given that Torres' departure along with Robert Lewandowski's contract ending in June, leaves the club without a specialist center-forward.
While Torres has permission to miss training, several other Barcelona players, including midfielder, Marc Casado and defenders Hector Fort and Jofre Torrents are training apart from the main squad as the club looks for a new destination for them.
Casado is thought to be a target for clubs in the Saudi Pro League and would also command a fee of around 40 million euros, while Fort has been linked with a possible return to Elche after spending last season there on loan. ■
