Barcelona announce Ferran Torres and Pedri have tested positive for Covid-19
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Updated 03/01/2022 at 22:59 GMT
While both players are in good health, Ferran Torres and Pedri will now have to self-isolate for seven days. Neither of them would have been able to feature in Barca’s midweek Copa del Rey fixture or their La Liga game against Granada next weekend regardless, but it’s a frustrating setback for Torres given that it will disrupt his settling-in period at the club.
Ferran Torres presented by Barcelona at Camp Nou
Barcelona have announced that Ferran Torres and Pedri have tested positive for Covid-19, adding to their long list of players in self-isolation.
Philippe Coutinho, Sergino Dest, Ez Abde, Ousmane Dembele, Gavi, Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet, Jordi Alba, Dani Alves and Alejandro Balde were all forced to sit out their game against Real Mallorca at the weekend after returning positive tests.
Alba and Alves have since tested negative and returned to training but, nonetheless, manager Xavi Hernandez has been left with a seriously depleted squad.
Neither Torres nor Pedri would have been able to feature in Barca’s midweek Copa del Rey fixture against Linares Deportivo or their La Liga game against Granada next weekend, with the former in the latter stages of his recovery from a foot injury and the latter still sidelined with the thigh injury which has kept him out since September.
Likewise, Torres still hasn’t been officially registered as Barcelona try to work around La Liga’s spending limits amid their ongoing financial crisis. The former Manchester City forward was only unveiled on Monday morning following his transfer for an initial €55m (£46m) last month.
A statement on Barcelona’s website read: “The first team players Pedri and Ferran Torres have tested positive for Covid-19. The players are in good health and self-isolating at home. The club has reported the cases to the relevant authorities.”
Last week, the Spanish government cut the isolation period for those who test positive for Covid from 10 days to seven. That means that Torres should be able to return to action next Monday ahead of his mooted debut against Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Supercopa de Espana.
While Torres suggested, following his unveiling, that he hoped to be fully fit for that game, this latest setback may well delay his bow for the Blaugrana. It will certainly disrupt his settling-in period given that he has only had a handful of limited training sessions so far.
It has been widely reported that Barcelona will have to sell players before they can complete Torres’ registration. Asked about the situation following the 21-year-old’s unveiling, director of football Mateu Alemany said: “The truth of the situation is that when we signed Ferran Torres we knew we did not have room in terms of salaries.
“However, we have been making moves in different areas and we are convinced we can register him.”
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