According to Spanish media outlet SPORT, in an intriguing development, Barcelona attacking midfielder Pablo Torre has refused to play for the club’s reserve team and has not attended a single training session with the subsidiaries.
The 19-year-old only joined Barcelona this summer, having previously played for Racing Santander in the Spanish second division. He is one of Spain’s most highly rated prospects and was also on Real Madrid’s radar.
However, thanks to manager Xavi Hernandez’s intervention, Barca managed to beat Los Blancos to the midfielder’s signature. Torre was expected to train with the first team upon arrival, but his minutes was always known would be limited due to competition for positions. As a result, he was always expected to play for Barcelona Atletic.
Torre was even registered as a member of the B team rather than the senior team. However, he is now refusing to play for Rafael Marquez’s team because he considers it a step down.
The midfielder helped Racing gain promotion to La Liga 2 from the RFEF Primera Division and does not want to compete against Barca Atletic. In pre-season, the Spaniard stood out in Barcelona’s 1-1 draw with Olot, demonstrating his incredible potential. The teenage sensation shone as an attacking midfielder, with several observers calling for him to be given a chance in the senior team.
Torre was earlier linked with a loan exit in the summer, with manager Xavi thought to be open to the possibility. Racing was also interested in signing him and offered to pay 40% of his salary, which they later increased to 60%.
According to the report, however, Barcelona director Mateu Alemany blocked the deal. Torre may see very few minutes of game time in the coming months if he refuses to play with the reserves, and there is little scope for first-team action.
It may prompt Barcelona to consider loaning him out in January. It will be interesting to see how things progress in the coming weeks.
However, all is not negative for the wonderkid who has been included in Barcelona’s final squad for the 2022/23 Champions League. The Catalans will kick off their Champions League campaign at the Camp Nou on September 7 against Viktoria Plzen.
