Arsenal reportedly want to sign £47m player, just months after he was urging his side to sign Zinchenko

Tue 13 December 2022 12:45, UK

There will be plenty of speculation over the coming weeks as to whether Arsenal will look for a new forward in January.

The injury to Gabriel Jesus while on international duty is a huge blow for Mikel Arteta.

from Manchester City last January.

He was an important player for Barcelona in the second-half of last season.

However, he’s only started six league games this season, and has had to share the left winger spot with Ansu Fati.

Barcelona’s financial situation means their players are always potentially for sale if the right offer comes in.

Torres is not indispensable to Xavi, and given his large transfer fee and long contract, could be allowed to go.

Barcelona won’t want to have Torres on the books until 2027 if he’s not a regular starter.

And this may be one of the reasons why Arsenal want to sign Torres in January if the opportunity arises.

Arsenal want to sign Torres

The 22-year-old Spaniard already has several connections to The Emirates.

He worked under Mikel Arteta while the Arsenal manager was still a coach at Manchester City.

Torres has also worked closely with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus in the past.

In fact, at Barcelona in the summer.

Instead, Xavi had faith in La Masia product Alejandro Balde at left-back, who earned a spot in Spain’s World Cup squad.

They also signed Marcos Alonso from Chelsea, however, he’s mainly been used as a centre-back.

If Arsenal want to sign Torres, it’s unlikely to be a cheap deal.

Tottenham are also keen on Torres, and his large transfer fee and contract will play a part.

Torres mainly plays as a left-winger, and wouldn’t be a direct replacement for Jesus.

However, he could facilitate Gabriel Martinelli moving into a central role.

Torres has a good goal scoring record, and has already found the back of the net five times for Barcelona this season.

He also scored twice for Spain at the World Cup, despite their campaign ending with a disappointing defeat to Morocco.