Atletico Madrid closely monitoring versatile Barcelona forward – report

Even though the Spaniard has not always been an automatic starter at Barcelona, his numbers this season have remained solid, scoring 21 goals and two assists.

Ferran is happy at Barcelona

The operation, as things stand, remains complicated because neither Barcelona nor Ferran currently appear eager to separate.

The forward continues to feel important within the squad, while Barcelona themselves are entering a delicate moment offensively as they prepare for life after Robert Lewandowski.

The Polish striker is approaching the final stage of his Barcelona career, and the Catalan club are already actively searching for a long-term replacement in the market.

Could be central to Barcelona’s plans

One of the names admired most is Julian Alvarez, but Atletico Madrid have no intention of making negotiations easy.

Ferran Torres does not want to leave Barcelona. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

The club understand that signing Alvarez would require a massive investment that currently looks extremely difficult to complete.

This is why they explored alternatives such as Joao Pedro, although even those deals remain financially complicated at this stage.

Now, if Lewandowski departs this summer, Ferran would effectively become the only recognised striker at Barcelona and losing him without first securing a replacement would create a sporting problem for Hansi Flick.

At the same time, there is growing speculation that Barcelona could eventually explore using Ferran as part of the operation to reduce the cost of a potential Alvarez deal.

However, the problem is that Atletico remain keen on keeping the Argentine rather than negotiating creative swap arrangements.