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Former Man City attacker Ferran Torres says he is “not to blame” for the price that Barcelona paid to bring him to Camp Nou.

The Spaniard left the Etihad for Barcelona in December 2021 for an initial €55m, having spent just one-and-a-half seasons in Manchester.

Torres joined Man City from Valencia in August 2020 after impressing for the La Liga outfit for a handful of years, following on from his progression in the club’s youth ranks.

Ex-Man City forward ‘not to blame’ for €55m fee

The Spanish international produced glimpses of his talent while at Man City, scoring 16 goals from his 43 matches in blue, including a superb hat-trick in a league match at Newcastle.

But his stay in England did not last very long, with injuries and indeed the huge number of attacking options at Man City resulting in a lack of regular playing time for Torres.

He then made a quick €55m switch to Barcelona, but somewhat struggled to find his feet early on, scoring just four goals from his 18 La Liga games. And the attacker has just two goals from his 19 league matches this time around.

Despite the struggles, Torres sees his long-term future at Camp Nou, and has revealed that it is certainly not his fault that Barcelona forked out a large sum to bring him to Spain.

“I want to succeed at Barcelona, I see myself here for many years,” said Torres, as per LiveScore. “I’m not to blame for the price they wanted to pay for me.

“I wanted to come because this is Barca and you can’t say no. Xavi called me several times. He carries Barca in his veins and has won everything.”

Man City

Torres opens up on struggles after Man City move

The Spaniard is capable of operating on either wing or indeed centrally, but just like at Man City, he finds himself competing with a number of talented attackers at Camp Nou. The likes of Raphinha, Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembele and Gavi are all vying for starting spots under manager Xavi.

Torres was handed a rare start in Barcelona’s league win over Cadiz on Sunday, but it perhaps came given the fact that the Catalan outfit have a huge Europa League clash with Manchester United on Thursday evening.

The Spanish side travel to Old Trafford for the second leg of their play-off encounter, having drawn 2-2 with the Red Devils in the first leg at Camp Nou.

Barcelona forward Torres has now admitted his struggles on the pitch got the better of him mentally, but that he is now recovering and ready to kick on.

“I felt that I had fallen into a bottomless pit,” said Torres. “I had never collapsed so much. I promised Xavi that I would be me again. I put myself in the hands of a psychologist. I usually go once or twice a week. My family also helped me, I have a very healthy environment.

“I have learnt not to be so obsessed with goals. I have learned to be happy, to face things. I have had a bad time, but it has been a great opportunity to get to know myself.”