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As per Spanish reporter Joan Fontes, Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig spoke ill about teammate Ferran Torres while chatting with friends in February. On his “Off the record” podcast, Fontes claimed that Puig was critical about Torres’ game time during his time under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
La Liga giants Barcelona splurged a whopping €55 million to bring Torres from Manchester City in January 2022. Before joining the Blaugrana, Torres had featured in 43 games for the Cityzens across competitions, recording 16 goals and four assists.
In the 2020-21 season, the former Valencia man started 15 Premier League games, scoring seven times.
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While Barcelona were happy to have the Spain international on board, Puig reportedly did not quite grasp what the fuss was about. As per Fontes’ podcast, the 22-year-old central midfielder bad-mouthed his countryman to his friends, claiming that Pep Guardiola did not have a place for him in his team.
According to Fontes (via BarcaCentre), here is what Puig said about his new teammate:
“Ferran Torres? Guardiola didn't even want him, last year he played 12 games.”
Since joining Barca, Torres has gone on to make 26 appearances for the club across competitions, recording seven goals and six assists.
Barcelona starlet Riqui Puig closing in on MLS switch
Once tipped to become one of the best midfielders of his generation, Riqui Puig has had a rough couple of years. Thanks to the emergence of Pedri and Gavi, Puig has lost his place in the team and by the looks of it, his spell at Camp Nou is nearing a hopeless end.
As per renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano, Puig is set to leave the Blaugrana this summer and join Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit LA Galaxy. The player supposedly has an agreement in place with LA Galaxy and will sign a three-year contract with them.
According to the journalist, there is a sell-on clause included in Puig’s contract, meaning Barcelona will receive a sizable cut if LA Galaxy end up selling the player to a different club.
Puig, who has been with Barca since 2014, has thus far played 57 games with the senior team, recording two goals and three assists in all competitions.
