Barcelona will reportedly resist interest in Ferran Torres during this summer's transfer window, with the Catalan giants determined to keep hold of the Spain international.
There has been a host of speculation surrounding the 25-year-old's future throughout the 2024-25 campaign, with a number of Premier League clubs thought to be interested in bringing him back to English football.
However, Torres has had a productive season for Barcelona, scoring 19 times and registering four assists in 43 appearances, including 10 goals and three assists in 26 outings in Spain's top flight.
The Spaniard is not first choice when head coach Hansi Flick has a full complement available, with Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha the starting trio in the final third of the field.
However, Lewandowski will be 37 in August, and he is only expected to represent the Catalan giants for one more season.
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Barcelona 'to keep' Torres this summer
According to Fichajes, Barcelona will not be moving for another striker this summer, as senior figures at the club have been convinced that Torres is capable of going head-to-head with Lewandowski for the starting spot next term.
The report claims that Torres's application and output has made him a vital player in the eyes of Barcelona chiefs, and it is now incredibly unlikely that he will be allowed to leave Camp Nou at the end of the campaign.
Torres made the move to Barcelona from Manchester City in January 2022, and he has represented the Catalan giants on 156 occasions in all competitions, scoring 44 goals and registering 17 assists in the process.
The Spaniard played the full 90 minutes of Barcelona's Champions League semi-final first leg against Inter Milan on Wednesday evening, with Lewandowski out of the contest due to a hamstring issue.
Lewandowski could be back for the second leg with Inter next week, but Torres is likely to keep hold of his starting role for Saturday evening's La Liga contest with Real Valladolid.
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Barcelona's centre-forward pursuit 'on hold'
Barcelona are one of a number of clubs to be linked with Lille's Jonathan David, who is out of contract this summer.
Meanwhile, Viktor Gyokeres is widely expected to leave Sporting Lisbon at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, and there have been suggestions that the goal machine could be available for as little as £55m.
However, with Lewandowski having a glorious season, scoring 40 times in all competitions, and Torres proving to be excellent cover, it appears that Barcelona's search for a long-term number nine is on hold until next summer's transfer window.
Matt Law
