Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta could bring in a fourth former Manchester City star to the Emirates Stadium in his hunt for attacking reinforcements.
The Gunners bolstered their squad significantly in the summer with the acquisitions of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Eastlands. Both have been hits in north London, too – though Jesus is currently out injured – offering the leadership and experience that Arsenal's young core lacked.
Arteta's first signing in management was actually a former City star, too. Pablo Mari never made a first-team appearance for the club but was on the Citizens' books for three years, heading out on loan a few times before ending up at the Emirates Stadium via Flamengo in Brazil.
Now, Arteta could chase another attacker who impressed during his short time at City, in the form of Ferran Torres, according to Fichajes in Spain.
Torres was signed from Valencia by Pep Guardiola but lasted just a year and a half in the Premier League before Xavi snapped him up for his Barcelona revolution. Barça have since brought in the likes of Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski while extending the contracts of Ansu Fati and Ousmane Dembele, making playing time a little harder to come by for the Spaniard than when he first moved to Camp Nou.
Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has told to GiveMeSport that the Gunners are after a winger capable of operating on both flanks, while journalist Dean Jones told GMS that Arsenal "clearly believe he might become available".
Fabrizio Romano, meanwhile, disagrees that Torres will be available for sale in the winter window, telling CaughtOffside that Barcelona's "aim is to keep the same squad until the end of the season and then change some players again in July."
Barcelona may have no choice but to move big names on, however. According to Catalunya Radio, the financial levers that enabled them to spend big over the summer transfer window aren't repeatable – and with Torres one of the more expendable talents in Xavi's squad and still on a relatively big contract, the Blaugrana may decide to cut ties.
Ferran Torres played just 28 times for Manchester City in the Premier League, scoring nine times.
More Arsenal stories
Could Arsenal make an a-list signing to bolster title hopes? A move for Dusan Vlahovic, a year after the Juventus forward turned down a Premier League transfer, could well be on – while Joao Felix is unsettled an attracting Emirates interest.
With Gabriel Jesus out of action for a while, some have claimed that plans to land Myhailo Mudryk may well be shelved, though others have claimed they're battling Chelsea for him. Arsenal are considering re-signing Yunus Musah, while Cody Gakpo is an option, too. Joao Felix has emerged as a potential superstar signing at the Emirates Stadium.
Gabriel Martinelli's contract situation is being watched by Barcelona, meanwhile.
‘Berlusconi sent his helicopter twice to impress me. It took longer to drive to the airport than to go to his villa, but he loved doing things to surprise you’: How AC Milan eventually completed world record transfer for Italian star in 1992
‘I got six reports on Dele Alli over a two-year period; Spurs should have reacted after my first two. At one stage they could sold him for over £80m’: Ex-Tottenham chief reveals secrets behind Dele transfer in 2015
