Ferran Torres of Manchester City is Barcelona's first big January transfer that has already been realized, but the Spanish winger is yet to make his debut for the Catalan giants in spite of putting pen to paper to a contract until June 2027. Torres is now unavailable to play for the Blaugrana. The latest signing for Xavi Hernandez has not been officially registered in La Liga yet, and he is currently recovering from a foot injury sustained while playing for the Spanish national team in October.
As things stand, the budget available to Barcelona is currently insufficient to apply for the first winter reinforcement, which means that there will have to be a salary exemption for Ferran to be registered as a player from Xavi's first team. "Ferran Torres is a spectacular reinforcement for us. Not only did we get a great player, but also a fantastic person. He had an injury and is in the final stages of rehabilitation. He will give us a lot and I'm sure of that.
"We will see how the financial situation will develop, whether we will be able to register him immediately. There are some players who need to leave, but if Dembele agrees to a pay cut, Ferran will be able to be registered immediately. We hope that will happen. Ferran is a dream for every coach, he can adapt to all conditions and he can play in all positions in the attack," Xavi said in the latest press conference.
Barcelona: 3 conditions to fulfill to register Ferran Torres
Barcelona will have to rely on a number of crucial depth players to step up for their Sunday game against Mallorca, especially since several players have been ruled out as a result of COVID-19 positive tests. The former Valencia forward, Torres will only be registered in La Liga if Barcelona are able to offload both Samuel Umtiti and Philippe Coutinho in January, says Catalan publication Mundo Deportivo.
Another reason why Xavi Hernandez's side have found it difficult to register any new acquisitions is due to Ousmane Dembele's high financial demands. A possible lower salary to Dembele would be spread out over several years if he accepts a contract extension, and the club would have some additional cash.
If Barca can move Dembele in January, things could get a little better. This, on the other hand, appears improbable. French defender Samuel Umtiti and Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho are still connected with a number of teams, but nothing has progressed as of yet.
