BarcelonaBarça announced the signing of Pablo Torre on March 4, 2022, when there were still almost three months left until the end of the 2021-2022 season, which the young midfielder took advantage of to lead Racing de Santander towards promotion to the Second Division Later, on June 15, Torre signed his contract with Barça, which will tie him down until June 30, 2026 with a release clause of €100 million. But, at the time, the Catalan club still did not register the promising 19-year-old player’s file.
According to the ARA, the reason is that Joan Laporta’s board wanted the operation, worth 5 million euros and which could reach 20 if the variables are met, to be calculated in the 2022-2023 financial year . The goal was that it would not affect the numbers for the 2021-2022 academic year, which closed on June 30 with 98 million in profit thanks to the first lever, the sale to Sixth Street of 10% of LaLiga’s television rights during the next 25 years, which brought 267 million in income on the balance sheet despite the fact that the American mutual fund paid out only 207.5. The explanation is the investment that Barça made in Locksley Invest, the joint company it has with Sixth Street to manage these rights.
Racing, who were also interested in the play to have more room for theirs fair play financier, agreed to this and Pablo Torre’s operation will not appear in the 2021-2022 balance sheet that the board of Laporta will show at the assembly of compromise partners that will be held in October. As explained by Arco FM, a Cantabrian radio, Racing de Santander did not cancel the player’s file until after July 1. This fact, which at the time was not seen as a problem by the clubs because Barça could not imagine another scenario other than that of Pablo Torre combining the first team with Barça Atlético during this season, has become a great impediment during the month of August.
Due to the little prominence that the ex-Racing player had during the pre-season with the Blaugrana first team due to the great competition in the middle of the field and not having counted for Xavi Hernández either at the start of the League (only was summoned before Real Sociedad due to Sergio Busquets’ suspension due to a penalty), as reported by ARA, Pablo Torre considered that the most positive thing for him was a transfer for a season, with the intention that he would be at the club of his land Especially considering that the player believes that his time in the 1st RFEF, in which Barça Atlètic plays, is already behind him. In fact, Xavi Hernández publicly left the transfer door open on August 20, when talks for Pablo Torre’s return to Racing were advanced.
He cannot play again with the same team
But the regulations of the Spanish Football Federation are clear. Article 126 says this: “Football players whose license is canceled will not be able, in the course of the same season, to obtain a license in the same team of the club to which they were already linked”. Therefore, Torre will not be able to fulfill his intention to play with Racing de Santander in Segona this year in order to continue to improve as a footballer before having regular minutes in the Barça first team.
Pablo Torre will continue in the Blaugrana discipline. In fact, Xavi Hernández on August 27 changed the discourse on the player’s future and said that “Barça will do well if he stays”, arguing for sporting reasons. The problem is that the coach of Terrassa cannot count on him right now because, in order to free up salary mass with the aim of registering Jules Kounde, it was decided to take away the visa that footballers with a subsidiary card need to play with the first team The solution could come thanks to other outputs. From the player’s environment, they show tranquility and assure that there will be no difficulty for him to end up playing with the Barça first team when Xavi needs him.
