Arsenal and Aston Villa are set to battle it out for Barcelona winger Ferran Torres in the summer transfer window, according to reports.
Torres has featured in all but three of Barcelona's games this season - he missed two because of suspension - but has started just 13 of his 29 appearances. During that time he has scored just four times and assisted once.
Raphinha, Ousmanne Dembele and Gavi in an inverted wide role have all been preferred to Torres at various points this season, and the Blaugrana could be set to cash in on the Spaniard to raise funds for the summer transfer window.
Talksport are reporting that Premier League sides Arsenal and Aston Villa have been keeping track of developments in Torres' situation at Camp Nou in recent months, and both are preparing to make a summer move in the transfer window.
The report suggests Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is a long-standing admirer of the 23-year-old, who spent 18 months with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City a few seasons ago.
Arsenal's squad depth has slightly derailed their Premier League title push in recent games, with William Saliba's presence at centre-back a major miss in the run in, following his injury in March.
While the Gunners did strengthen in the forward area with the arrival of Leandro Trossard from Brighton, Arteta believes further quality is needed in order to establish Arsenal at the head of the Premier League table for years to come.
Meanwhile, Villa's impending appointment of Barcelona director of football Mateu Alemany means they're confident a potential deal can be struck with Torres' entourage, with Unai Emery's revitalised side looking up the Premier League table.
Torres moved from Valencia to Manchester City in the summer of 2020 for a reported fee of £20.8 million. After struggling to break into Guardiola's starting XI, Torres returned to Spain in January 2022, joining Barcelona for £50 million.
Transfermarkt currently values Ferran Torres at £27 million.
