Former Premier League winner and Spain talisman ‘offered’ return to top-flight with Newcastle United

Newcastle United fans are preparing for an action-packed week of football which begins with a trip to Everton on Thursday 7 December.

The Toon Army face a hectic period in the run up to Christmas and the high-profile encounter on Merseyside is quickly followed by an away trip to Tottenham at the weekend before a crunch final Champions League group stage game against AC Milan on Wednesday, December 13. The Magpies have performed admirably in recent weeks to reach the quarter finals of the Carabao Cup, whilst also remaining sixth in the Premier League despite a difficult run of fixtures.

However, the club’s ongoing injury crisis is likely to prompt further transfer activity so that they can sustain these high standards in the second half of the campaign. With that in mind Shields Gazette has rounded up the latest transfer stories from St James’ Park ahead of the January window.

Newcastle United plan statement move for former Manchester City star

Newcastle United are reportedly hoping to sign Barcelona star Ferran Torres for a fee of around £35m, according to The Sun. The 23-year-old rose to prominence in the Valencia academy in 2017 and was snapped up by Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side in 2020 for a fee of around £20m. Torres was a European Championship winner for Spain at U17 and U19 level and was tipped to become a star for years to come at the Etihad Stadium.

He showcased his potential in his first season with seven goals in 24 league appearances - including a hat-trick against Newcastle in front of the St James’ Park faithful. Torres won the Premier League and League Cup double in his first season with the Citizens, but made the decision to move back to Spain with Barcelona in a £47m deal in January 2022. Since signing for Barcelona he has made a combined total of 64 league appearances, scoring 11 goals and providing six assists.

However, he has struggled to maintain a regular spot in the starting lineup and many of his appearances have come from the bench. The attacker, who boasts a record of 18 goals from 40 appearances for Spain, is reportedly one of the players that Barcelona are open to sell to balance their books and Spainish outlet Fichajes claims “Newcastle would be interested” in giving the player the chance to return to England.

Torres primarily operates on the wing, which would be useful to Newcastle given the injury problems of both Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy, however, like Anthony Gordon, he is also blessed with the ability to play as a centre forward when called upon.

This would also be key to Newcastle’s hopes as both Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak have been the victims of injury problems in recent months. Torres is renowned for his blistering speed, trickery and his eye for goal, which are all assets which could help the Magpies in their pursuit of Champions League qualification.