Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing Barcelona attacker Ferran Torres on loan this summer, before potentially snapping him up permanently next year.

Is Torres leaving Barcelona?

The 23-year-old moved to Barca from Manchester City during the 2021/22 season, having struggled to ever look like a genuinely key part of Pep Guardiola's plans.

While Torres will have hoped to kickstart his career against back in his homeland, he has also found it difficult to nail down a regular starting berth under Xavi. He only started 14 La Liga games last season, coming on as a substitute on 19 occasions, and it has become apparent that he is expendable.

It means Barca could even allow him to leave during the summer transfer window, along with fellow young talent Ansu Fati, which is where Villa could come into play.

The Villans could be set to embark upon a hugely exciting summer window, with Pau Torres already expected to come in as an eye-catching defence signing, and funds available to bring in more players.

Are Villa eyeing summer move for Torres?

According to Mundo Deportivo [via Caught Offside], Villa are keen on the idea of signing Torres on loan ahead of the new season, with a view to signing him permanently in 2024, should he impress. There is a €25m (£21.5m) purchase option that would come into play at that point.

Newcastle United have also been linked with a move for the Spaniard in the recent past, however, so there could be competition for his signature, should he and Barca both agree to a move away makes the most sense.

Torres could be another statement signing by Villa this summer if they could get a deal over the line, possessing genuine pedigree, having already won three league titles in his short career to date, not to mention scoring 15 goals in 35 caps for Spain.

The fact that Xavi has called him "world-class" in the past says a huge amount about what the youngster is capable of as a footballer, and while he clearly hasn't set the world alight at City and Barca, he could thrive by being one of the first names on the team sheet at Villa Park.

At 23, he still has so many years to hone his talent and he could fulfil his potential under Unai Emery, with his compatriot outlining why he is one of Europe's leading managers after a great start to life at Villa.