“I’ll stay at Barcelona, I have a contract” - 23-year-old attacker confirms transfer stance amid Premier League interest

Barcelona striker Ferran Torres has downplayed rumors of him leaving the club this summer, amidst reports of interest from Premier League teams.

The 23-year-old Spanish forward joined Barcelona from Manchester City for a fee of £46.7m up front plus add-ons of £8.5m in January 2022. He has played 71 games for the Catalan club, registering 14 goals and nine assists.

With the player unable to cement his place as a first-team regular, there are rumors of him leaving the club this summer. Premier League clubs like Aston Villa and Newcastle United have reportedly expressed their interest in bringing him back to England.

Torres, however, has now addressed these reports, with his current contract running till 2027 at Nou Camp.

"The names on Barca transfer list are placed by the journalists. I have a contract here, I'm going to stay. I don't care what is said about me. I'm going to work like anyone else," Ferran told reporters. "I am the first self-critic, it was not a good season last year but I learned a lot. These ups and downs have helped me to be stronger now."

Managing Barca tweeted the same report, quoting the player:

"I'll stay at Barcelona, I have a contract."

Barcelona lost their latest friendly 5-3 against Arsenal.

Barcelona head coach Xavi unhappy with Arsenal's aggression in pre-season friendly

Arsenal beat Barcelona 5-3 in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday (July 26) at the United States of America in front of a 70,000-strong crowd.

The Catalans took the lead twice, with Arsenal drawing level twice before the Gunners raced ahead in the second half, courtesy of a Leandro Trossard brace.

Xavi was unhappy with Arsenal's aggressive tackling and complained that the intensity was too high for a friendly game. He said at the press conference:

"I understand that everyone wants to win, but I told Arteta that it looked like a Champions League match. The intensity that they put was too high. The intensity that Arsenal put was not normal. Too much fouls for a friendly."

It is to be noted that Arsenal committed 22 fouls in the game.