Revealed: Why Deco is 'reluctant' to extend Ferran Torres' Barcelona contract as PSG continue to be linked with transfer swoop

Barcelona’s administrative reluctance to offer Torres a fresh contract extension has officially been traced back to a costly clause embedded in his initial transfer from Man City. According to The Athletic, the reluctance to secure Torres' long-term future is tied to a specific clause inserted into the deal when he arrived from City in January 2022.

The Catalan giants originally agreed to pay an initial fee of €55 million plus a further €10 million in performance-related add-ons. While those milestones have already been reached and paid for, a fresh detail has emerged: Barcelona would be required to pay the Premier League champions an additional payment of between €7 million and €8 million if they agree to a formal contract extension with the player.

Should Barcelona proceed with a renewal, the added clause would push the overall cost of the Torres deal to approximately €73 million – a hefty premium for a club still managing its finances carefully after completing the signing of Karim Adeyemi. That financial reality has left club officials increasingly convinced that sanctioning a sale this summer represents the more sensible path forward, rather than committing further funds to extend a player who remains, at best, an important squad option rather than a guaranteed starter under Hansi Flick.

By offloading Torres now, Barcelona would sidestep the additional payment to Man City altogether while still securing a healthy transfer fee, avoiding the risk of the forward eventually running down his contract and leaving for nothing.

As the internal debate over Torres’ future continues, Paris Saint-Germain have emerged as a genuine destination for the former Valencia man. The Ligue 1 champions have been monitoring the market for versatile attacking reinforcements, and the uncertainty surrounding the Spaniard’s status in Catalonia has put Luis Enrique's side on high alert.

While the French side has yet to submit a formal opening proposal to Barcelona, the interest is said to be concrete. According to Mundo Deportivo, the winger may have already given a "green light" to a potential move to the Parc des Princes, especially as the arrival of other targets at Barca could significantly see his minutes on the pitch dwindle during the upcoming campaign.

Torres was heavily involved in Barcelona's attacking output last season, registering 24 goal contributions (21 goals and 3 assists) across 49 appearances in all competitions. The forward was trusted with 31 starts while being utilised as a substitute on 18 occasions. Despite being a natural winger, Torres demonstrated impressive versatility by leading the line as a centre-forward in 38 of those matches.

In the ongoing World Cup, his role with Spain has predominantly been that of an impact sub. After starting just once – against Cape Verde – he came off the bench in the following five fixtures, crucially providing the assist for La Roja’s match-winning goal against Portugal in the round of 16.