Manchester City star Torres informed Guardiola of his desire to join Barcelona

Pep Guardiola, for his part, responded by agreeing to a way out, provided that an "economic deal" can be reached between Barcelona and Manchester City.

Ferran Torres's 21-year-old agent was at the Barcelona offices last Tuesday to force the transfer to Camp Nou, with football director Mateu Alemany traveling to Manchester earlier this week, reports Mundo Deportivo .

Barcelona have been associated with a number of names across Europe in recent weeks, with new coach Xavi Hernandez looking forward to strengthening his attacking line in January.

Sergio Aguero joined Blaugrana via a free transfer from Manchester City in the summer but only managed four games due to injury problems. And last month, the Argentinian suffered chest pains in the game against Alavés and was taken off the field, with the latest news suggesting he could be about to hang up his boots.