Revealed: Barcelona owe Manchester City £12 million payment from 2021 transfer | OneFootball

Manchester City continue to await a final payment from FC Barcelona to round-off the transfer of Ferran Torres to the La Liga giants in 2021, financial records have revealed.

The Spanish forward completed his move from the Etihad Stadium to Camp Nou for an initial £46.3 million in December 2021, joining Xavi’s rebuilding project midway through the 2021/22 campaign. However, despite the deal agreed almost four years ago, it appears Barcelona are still yet to fulfil the complete financial terms of the transfer.

Barcelona’s financial struggles have been well-documented, with the Catalan club continuing to operate under heavy debt and strict financial regulations. This has often led to delays in payments to other clubs and limited their ability to register new signings.

The Ferran Torres case is the latest example of how Barcelona’s economic difficulties are still impacting their football operations. Torres himself has endured a mixed spell at the club, initially shifting between roles under Xavi before operating as somewhat of a back-up option in their current format under Hansi Flick.

Now, as identified in Barcelona’s financial records by Stefan Borson, the La Liga giants owe Manchester City a final €13 million payment in the current financial year concerning the signing of Ferran Torres in 2021.

From the side of City, it is explained that the Etihad Stadium club had decided to “effectively sell the debt to a bank and take c.95 per cent” of the money now.

A report further states that Barcelona still owe Leeds United £36.5 million for the transfer of Raphinha and £22 million to Sevilla for French defender Jules Kounde, while £8.5 million is owed to Bayern Munich for Robert Lewandowski.

Elsewhere, there remains an owing of £15.5 million to RB Leipzig following Dani Olmo’s move to Catalonia in 2024, and despite selling Vitor Roque to Palmeiras for €25 million in 2024, Barcelona still owe Athletico Paranaense £15 million towards the fee they paid to sign him.

With City having already settled the debt through a financial arrangement, the matter is unlikely to cause any disruption to their ongoing operations.

However, Barcelona’s growing list of outstanding payments is once again drawing scrutiny over their financial management and transfer strategy.

Looking ahead, the La Liga side will need to resolve deferred fees to avoid further complications with UEFA and domestic licensing authorities. As for Ferran Torres, his future at the club continues to attract reports of interest from the Premier League, and any potential sale could serve as another short-term fix to ease Barcelona’s cashflow issues.