Ferran Torres has firmly denied rumours that he could leave Barcelona during this summer's transfer window, insisting that there is "no doubt" that he will remain at Camp Nou.
The 23-year-old was a regular for the Catalan giants during the 2022-23 campaign, featuring on 45 occasions in all competitions, scoring seven goals and registering three assists in the process.
However, the Spaniard only started 14 times in La Liga, and there has been speculation surrounding his future during the summer transfer window.
Aston Villa have allegedly shown an interest in the forward, who has scored 14 goals and registered nine assists in 71 matches for Barcelona since arriving from Manchester City in January 2022.
Torres has a contract at Camp Nou until June 2027, though, and the attacker has made it clear that he will not be leaving Barcelona under any circumstances this summer.
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"I'm going to stay at Barca, no doubts. I will stay, I've a contract - no plans to leave at all. I think I'm qualified to play for Barca. What is said about me doesn't matter to me," Torres told reporters.
The forward is currently with the Barcelona squad in the United States, and he found the back of the net in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to Arsenal in Los Angeles.
Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha also registered, as the Catalan outfit played for the first time this summer, having seen their clash with Juventus cancelled due to an illness in their camp.
"Regardless of the result, my conclusions from this match are positive," Barcelona boss Xavi told reporters following the loss. "We were weak in defence today. They've already played more games. This is our first one. We saw positive signs against a more prepared opponent.
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"Arsenal deserved the win. Speed and fitness were the main difference. With the ball we were good, but we were bad in defence."
However, Xavi was unhappy with the "intensity" that Arsenal played at in the pre-season clash, claiming that there were "too many fouls for a friendly".
"The intensity that Arsenal put was not normal. Too many fouls for a friendly," he added.
"I understand that everyone wants to win, but I told Arteta that it looked like a Champions League match. The intensity that they put was too high."
Barcelona will next be in action against Real Madrid on Saturday before rounding off their pre-season tour of the United States with a clash against AC Milan on August 1.
Matt Law
