Turin Transfer Market: Bid for Barcelona Player; Contacts Confirmed

Torino has been looking for a left-footed center back in these final days of the summer transfer window: Ignazio Abate’s defense currently lacks one, and there could be news on this front soon—perhaps even some surprising developments.

The Granata are reportedly in the running for Álvaro Cortés, a 21-year-old defender owned by Barcelona, who played for the Blaugrana’s B team last season and made his first-team La Liga debut against Alavés. This is reported by Matteo Moretto.

Contacts between Torino and the Catalan club have been confirmed: Barcelona wants to loan him out so he can play regularly at a high level and develop his potential, and a move to Serie A would be welcome by both the Catalans and the player. But the competition is fierce: Bologna, also in Serie A, is interested in him, while Elche has stepped forward in La Liga. According to rumors, sporting director Petrachi is aiming for a loan with an option to buy, which could be followed by a buyback option for the Blaugrana: a meeting with the executives of the Spanish champions could take place in the coming days.

Álvaro Cortés is one of the jewels of Barcelona’s cantera, the youth academy that churns out talent every year: According to rumors from early summer, Hansi Flick would have preferred to keep the player, who participated in preseason training with the first team. Now, however, he has opened the door to a new arrangement that would guarantee him more playing time next season. Also linked to Deportivo La Coruña, his market value is estimated at around 5 million euros.

Among the options for the defense are Lilian Brassier of Rennes, Caleb Okoli (close to joining Cagliari), and Matteo Darmian, a fullback who became a free agent after parting ways with Inter. Born in 1989, he would find in the Granata an environment that launched his career in top-flight soccer and, above all, sporting director Gianluca Petrachi, with whom he has already worked in the past.