Barcelona are holding firm in their refusal to enter a financial bidding war to keep Spanish forward Ferran Torres, amid interest from a number of clubs led by Paris Saint-Germain.
Catalan newspaper "Sport" report that Barcelona will offer their player a contract renewal in line with the club's approved wage policy, to take effect from September. They have no intention of improving the offer should Torres receive larger financial proposals.
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Should Torres decide to leave, the club will negotiate his sale "for a fair value" while insisting they want to keep him, without overdoing it.
Ferran fits the team's project, Barcelona believe, thanks to his attacking abilities and his standing within the dressing room. He performed well last season and chipped in with a good number of goals. Even so, they do not see him as indispensable.
The decision now rests with the player. He will settle whether he wishes to continue his journey with Barça, the club that gambled on him and paid 55 million euros to sign him in difficult financial circumstances. His market value had risen after his brilliant displays at the last World Cup and his title triumph with the Spain national team.
The final position
Barcelona have not, so far, received any official contact from Paris Saint-Germain, according to the report. Their information about the French club's interest came via the media.
Now the club wait for Ferran to determine his final position, staying or requesting to leave, during the coming week, as the transfer market enters its decisive phase.
If the player decides to depart, Barcelona will work to secure the largest possible financial return. There is a conviction within the club that forwards command a high market value, and the minimum for completing any deal is the recovery of the 55 million euros they paid for Torres.
"Sport" concluded that Ferran's departure would leave Barcelona without an out-and-out specialist forward, bar young Egyptian Hamza Abdelkarim. That would push coach Hansi Flick to intensify his demands for a new centre-forward, despite the difficulty of finding this type of player in the current transfer market.