Newcastle United are believed to be in 'internal discussions' about the signing of Barcelona phenom Ferran Torres, with the Catalan giants' financial turmoil leaving the Spaniard's future at the club uncertain.
What's the latest on Ferran Torres to Newcastle?
According to Football Transfers, the ambitious Magpies are enamoured by Torres' blistering past success in the Premier League with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City and view him as the ideal signing to bolster the ranks this summer.
Manager Eddie Howe can now offer the likes of Torres a place in next season's Champions League too, with the Toon's recent draw against Leicester City enough to secure a top-four finish with a game to spare.
The report claims that despite joining the fold at La Blaugrana for an initial €55m (£46m), the 23-year-old would be available for just €35m (£30m) as Barcelona look to ease the burden of their financial difficulties.
Should Newcastle sign Ferran Torres?
Newcastle are seeking a range of reinforcements across the park after returning to continental competition with verve and vigour, and among the desired positions, the offensive wide flanks require the addition of a first-rate option.
Torres fits this bill, while the report states that the £170k-per-week gem is viewed as the perfect replacement for Allan Saint-Maximin, who may well depart St. James's Park after scoring just one goal all season and starting just 11 times in the top flight.
During his past exploits on English soil, Torres won the Premier League and League Cup and plundered 20 direct contributions from 43 appearances for the Citizens, earning his stripes as a prodigious offensive talent before returning to his homeland.
At Barca this term, he has scored seven goals and three assists but finds regular minutes on the pitch hard to come by, starting on just 17 occasions across all competitions.
Despite this, the wily winger has maintained an impressive threat; as per FBref, he ranks among the top 12% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for non-penalty goals, the top 23% for successful take-ons and the top 12% for touches in the attacking box per 90.
Effectively, such metrics suggest that he is a deadly component in front of the net, with Pep Guardiola once stating that he has "the smell" for goals and assists.
The "world-class" prospect – as praised by his manager Xavi – bears a semblance to a certain Manchester United star who recently notched their 30th strike of the season: Marcus Rashford.
The fleet-footed Red Devil fell by the wayside last term and clinched just five goals from 32 outings, but under the tutelage of Erik ten Hag, the 51-cap menace has been back with a vengeance this season, scoring 30 goals and registering 11 assists across all competitions, winning the Carabao Cup and looking ahead to the FA Cup final next month.
Both Torres and Rashford find success across the scope of the frontline, while both also possess that innate knack for finding opportune moments to strike the back of the next.
Indeed, Rashford ranks among the 1% of positional peers for non-penalty goals, the top 4% for total shots and the top 8% for touches in the attacking box per 90, also hailed as "world-class" by presenter Terry Flewers.
Newcastle need only look at the resurgence at the Theatre of Dreams this term and Rashford's talismanic role in guiding his outfit back toward prominence when considering the impact Torres might have on Tyneside with more regular game time.
For a burgeoning team, Torres could be the missing ingredient for crafting perpetual success under Howe's stewardship.
