Ferran Torres: Barcelona confirm Manchester City forward has joined

Ferran Torres has not played for Manchester City since he injured his foot while playing for Spain in October

Spain forward Ferran Torres has joined Barcelona from Manchester City, signing a contract until June 2027 with a 1bn euro (£842m) buyout clause.

Neither club has confirmed how much the deal is worth but it was previously believed to be £46.3m.

In October, Ansu Fati and Pedri signed contract extensions with Barca that contained 1bn euro release clauses.

City manager Pep Guardiola confirmed the move was imminent on Thursday and said he is happy for Torres.

It was understood Barcelona would pay a further £8.4m in add-ons for the Spaniard and the club now needs to sell some players to comply with La Liga financial regulations.

Barca are able to fund the deal despite their current financial troubles thanks to a recent bank loan.

Spain international Torres has made 43 appearances and scored 16 goals for City since joining from Valencia in August 2020.

He started City's opening six matches of the season but was dropped to the bench for the goalless draw against Southampton in September and has not featured at all since suffering a foot injury on international duty with Spain the following month.

City's director of football Txiki Begiristain said: "Ferran should be proud of what he has achieved here at Manchester City.

"Last season was his first time in a new country, but he adapted well. He always gave 100%, worked hard for the team and scored goals which helped us win trophies. We wish him all the best at Barcelona and for the rest of his career."

Torres told Guardiola he wanted to leave in order to secure more regular first-team football and City feel they have strong depth in forward positions, with Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Phil Foden providing competition for a starting spot at Etihad Stadium.

Barcelona are short on forward players after their financial issues meant they were unable to keep hold of Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, and allowed Antoine Griezmann to rejoin Atletico Madrid over the summer.

Former City striker Sergio Aguero joined Barca, but was forced to retire from football earlier this month aged 33 because of a heart condition.

Manager Ronald Koeman was sacked in October with the club ninth in La Liga after collecting just 15 points from their opening 10 games.

He was replaced last month by club legend Xavi, who has won three of his first eight matches in charge in all competitions so far, but could not stop Barca exiting the Champions League after the group stage.

• Our coverage of your Premier League club is bigger and better than ever before - follow your team and sign up for notifications in the BBC Sport app to make sure you never miss a moment