Ferran Torres speaks on Man City exit as Real Madrid hit Gabriel Jesus hurdle

Here are your Manchester City evening headlines for Wednesday, June 8:

Ferran Torres says City exit was ‘no brainer’ as Guardiola defends Barca forward

Ferran Torres claims he could have stayed at Manchester City, but couldn’t resist the lure of playing under Xavi at Barcelona.

Torres left City in January after 18 months, as the Blues turned a £20m purchase into an initial £46.7m sale, and the Spain international annoyed Blues fans when he later said he only used the club as a stepping stone to sign for Barcelona or Real Madrid.

READ MORE: Man City have reinforced their plan for Cole Palmer with Bukayo Saka transfer stance

In his first half-season at Barca, Torres recorded a respectable six goals and six assists in 25 appearances, at an average of a goal contribution every 161 minutes. Now, he says joining Barcelona was a ‘no brainer’ as he insisted he preferred that over winning more trophies at City.

Read Torres’ comments here.

Real Madrid face major problem to sign Gabriel Jesus

Real Madrid may be ruled out of the race to sign City forward Gabriel Jesus this summer because of passport problems.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side, who added a 14th Champions League crown to their league title this season after beating Chelsea, City and Liverpool in the knockout competition, are looking to refresh their squad after missing out on star striker Kylian Mbappe and have considered Jesus as an option. The 25-year-old is out of contract at the Etihad next season and so the club have a decision to make on his future.

It is understood that the player is keen on a move while City are open to him going for the right price, given the arrivals of Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland will further limit his game time. Cole Palmer is also expected to challenge for more minutes next season.

Read the full story here.

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