Paris Saint-Germain are close to reaching an agreement for Barcelona forward Ferran Torres.

The 26-year-old is not expected to resume training with Hansi Flick’s side as the two clubs look to finalise a deal, with discussions over a transfer fee ongoing.

The Athletic reported in July that Torres’s Barcelona future was in doubt.

Barcelona are open to selling the forward due to the fact that any renewal of his contract would require a payment of around €8millon (£6.8m; $9.2m) to be made to Manchester City, owing to a clause in the deal which saw him join Barca from City for an initial €55m plus a further €10m in add-ons in January 2022.

Sources familiar with the situation — speaking anonymously as they did not have permission to comment publicly, like others consulted for this article — said Barcelona sporting director Deco was reluctant to offer Torres a contract extension because of the financial ramifications a deal would have.

Senior Barca sources said the club is open to selling him, avoiding the possibility of Torres leaving as a free agent at the end of 2026-27.

Torres’ departure mean that Barca would lose their two main strikers from last season, after Robert Lewandowski also left the club upon the expiry of his contract.

Torres scored 21 times in 49 appearances under Flick last season, operating mostly up front but also featuring on either wing. At this summer’s World Cup, he was utilised as a substitute by Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente, and netted the winning goal in the 106th minute to ensure his nation won back-to-back major international tournaments.

Since joining Barcelona, Torres has made 207 appearances, recording 65 goals and 23 assists. He has played a major role in the club’s back-to-back La Liga titles, while he also contributed to their league success in the 2022-23 season.

Barca signed 25-year-old England winger Anthony Gordon from Newcastle in an €80m deal in late May (including potential add-ons), German forward Karim Adeyemi also arriving at the club from Borussia Dortmund for an initial €22m plus add-ons.

Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez has been the club’s primary target for the No 9 spot, with the Argentina international expressing a desire to join Barca, but Atletico have insisted that he is not for sale.

A good deal for everyone?

Analysis by Barcelona correspondent Pol Ballús

At this point, this is the best outcome for all sides.

Ferran Torres gets a big move at a great time in his career, after scoring the winning goal at the World Cup final for Spain last month, maximising his value. His moves and public statements over the last few weeks cast doubt on his Barcelona future, and the fans will not be too affected by his departure.

Last week, Torres travelled to the United States during his holidays and carried out multiple interviews where he was very open about his future plans, did not commit to Barca and urged the club to make a move and show that they wanted him.

Torres scored 21 goals in all competitions last season (Josep Lago/AFP via Getty Images)

The words did not sit well with a fanbase feels as though it has seen it all from Torres over the past four years, going from an underwhelming €55m signing at the start of his Barca tenure to a very capable back-up forward under Hansi Flick.

The move would allow Barcelona to cash in on Torres and avoid handing him a big contract, something Deco was reluctant to do as he believed it could have impacted the salary harmony in the dressing room. But it leaves plenty of work in the club’s senior offices.

Robert Lewandowski left by the end of June, after the expiration of his contract, and now Ferran Torres is close to exiting too. None of the last two seasons’ strikers are at the club now, which puts even more pressure on Barcelona’s search for a new number nine. There is growing pessimism over the signing of their primary target, Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid, but what is clear now is that Barca will need to do something, and there’s only three weeks left in the transfer window.

Ipswich Town have reached an agreement to sign forward Julio Enciso from Strasbourg.

The 22-year-old Paraguay international impressed under current Ipswich manager Gary O’Neil at Strasbourg last season.

The former Bournemouth and Wolves boss, who was appointed manager at Portman Road this summer, pushed for an early reunion.

The move would also mark Enciso’s return to Ipswich after a six-month loan spell from Brighton in 2025.

Enciso was highly regarded at French club Strasbourg, which shares ownership with Chelsea through the BlueCo group, and club officials believed he had the potential to earn a move to Stamford Bridge in the future.

Although the fee has not been disclosed at this stage, those involved believe it will account for a sizeable portion of Ipswich’s remaining transfer budget and deliver Strasbourg a substantial profit on the £7.7m they paid for him last summer.

Ipswich have already made 10 major signings this summer, including Daizen Maeda from Celtic, Abdul Fatawu from Leicester City and club-record signing Emersonn from Toulouse.

It remains unclear whether a deal for Enciso would surpass the £24m the Tractor Boys paid for Emersonn earlier in the transfer window.

Having secured promotion from the Championship, Ipswich begin their Premier League campaign at home to Sunderland on 22 August.

Born in Figueres, a city in Catalonia in north-eastern Spain, Chavarria played for his hometown club before moving to Olot, where he built his reputation in Spain’s lower tiers.

A move to Real Zaragoza in 2020 gave him his first taste of professional football at a bigger club, and – after two seasons in Spain’s second division – he earned the opportunity to step into La Liga with Rayo Vallecano in 2022.

That timing was significant. Rayo were not expected to compete with Spain’s established giants, but under a strong collective structure they became one of the division’s most difficult opponents.

Rayo’s ability to compete against wealthier clubs has repeatedly relied on identifying undervalued players and maximising their strengths, and Chavarria became another example of that model – joining for less than £2m.

At Vallecas, Chavarria developed into a dependable top-flight full-back, combining defensive aggression with the physicality required to succeed in the role.

He made 125 appearances for Rayo and became a regular presence on the left side of defence.

Joining Rayo also gave him the chance to play in front of world-class managers such as Xabi Alonso, who he faced last season when Alonso was in charge of Real Madrid.

In the goalless draw with Real Madrid at Vallecas in November, Chavarria produced an excellent defensive performance – showing the aggression and discipline required to deal with elite attacking players.

His performance left an impression on Alonso and Chavarria became a key target for the Spanish coach after he was appointed Chelsea manager.

He also started for Rayo in last season’s Conference League final, where they suffered a 1-0 defeat by Crystal Palace.

Alongside new right-back Marco Palestra, who joined Chelsea for £47m from Atalanta in July, Chavarria’s arrival gives Alonso the chance to replicate his wing-back system that helped Bayer Leverkusen win the Bundesliga title in 2024.

His signing also adds depth to the left-back position after Marc Cucurella joined Real Madrid in June for £51.8m.