Ferran Torres skips Barcelona training as PSG move nears

Ferran Torres, the man who delivered Spain’s World Cup glory this summer, is closing in on a high-profile move to Paris Saint-Germain after being granted permission to miss Barcelona training.

The 26-year-old forward, who struck an extra-time winner against Argentina to secure Spain’s second World Cup, was scheduled to report back to Barça on Wednesday. Instead, he will stay away from the training ground as negotiations with PSG accelerate.

The French champions are expected to pay more than £40m for Torres, who has just one year left on his contract at Camp Nou. With that clock ticking, Barcelona face a familiar dilemma: cash in now or risk losing a World Cup hero for nothing in 12 months.

Tension has been building around his future. A section of the Barça support has bristled at how openly Torres has discussed the possibility of leaving, especially in the afterglow of Spain’s triumph.

On a media tour in the United States following the World Cup win, he kept his options firmly open. “I have a contract with Barcelona but, in football, you never know,” he said.

Pressed on PSG’s interest, he did not shy away. “Every time these teams want you it's a good thing. “You never know because in football everything can change in one minute, so I have to be ready for everything.”

PSG, who face Aston Villa in the Super Cup final in Salzburg on Wednesday night, look ready to test that readiness. The Paris club have become serial contenders in Europe, lifting the Champions League in each of the past two seasons, and they remain an attractive destination for elite forwards.

Luis Enrique, the former Barcelona coach and player now in charge at PSG, knows the Catalan club and its players inside out. A move for Torres would fit neatly into his preference for versatile, technically sharp attackers capable of interchanging across the front line.

There is also a wider shuffle taking shape in Paris. Bradley Barcola could depart this summer, with Liverpool interested in the forward, and Torres would arrive as both a statement signing and a ready-made replacement.

For Barcelona, this would mark the end of a relatively short but eventful spell. Torres joined in 2022 after two years at Manchester City, bringing flexibility across the front three and a knack for big moments. On the international stage, he has been even more prolific, scoring 25 goals in 65 appearances for Spain.

Now, the player who decided a World Cup final may be about to swap Camp Nou for the Parc des Princes. If the deal goes through, Barcelona lose a champion in his prime – and PSG gain another big-game specialist for their growing European dynasty.