Aston Villa lodge bid for £54.2m forward in attempt to crush Mikel Arteta dream

Villa have submitted an offer to sign Barcelona attacker Ferran Torres but remain short of the La Liga club’s valuation, according to a report in Spain.

Torres, signed from Manchester City for €65 million (£54.2 million) including add-ons, has contributed 26 goals and 15 assists in 123 Barça appearances so far. The 24-year-old has already made 48 senior matches for Spain, scoring an impressive 21 goals.

Despite playing regularly for Barcelona over the past three seasons, Torres has mainly been an impact substitute rather than a starter. The attacker’s quality and clinical nature are abundantly clear, so it may be frustrating to be occupying the bench so often.

Fichajes reports Villa, keen to provide more consistent minutes, have lodged an official bid of €15 million (£12.4 million) to sign Torres. It’s claimed, however, that Barcelona will only consider a sale if the Villans meet the €25 million (£20.8 million) valuation.

As Torres still has two and a half years left on his contract, Barça are under no real pressure to sell. That said, the player isn’t at the forefront of Hansi Flick’s plans and his game time is likely to reduce even further due to the impressive form of Raphinha and Lamine Yamal.

Villa aren’t the only club interested in Torres as TBR Football reports Arsenal are keeping close tabs. Gunners head coach Mikel Arteta worked with Torres at Man City and is said to be eyeing a reunion at Emirates Stadium. If Villa were to sign Torres, it would crush Arteta’s dream.