Everyone wants Pablo Torre: Barça overtakes Real Madrid

Pablo Torre, the new pearl of the prolific Racing academy, is the new object of desire in the new generation of Spanish football and Barcelona has overtaken Real Madrid as the best positioned team for the signing of the 18-year-old Cantabrian talent. They are not the only teams in the running, there are also foreigners, but Pablo’s superb performances in the last two months have changed the framework of the negotiations both for Racing and for those who want to sign him. and that’s where those who have arrived at the last minute have changed the way to Real Madrid.

The soccer player from Soto de la Marina, who will turn 19 in April, He has a contract until June 30, 2025 and a termination clause of 10 million euros. Real Madrid began this operation last fall, with those responsible for the merengue academy managing it from Valdebebas, speaking of a very modest transfer, not exceeding 2.5 million, and variables depending on future performance. However, the recent burst onto the scene with force by Barça and other European clubs, will bring the figure much closer to the termination clause than to the first Real Madrid move. It would no longer be about signing a player for Castilla (although it could be thought of in that intermediate season), and those operations are already being led by José Ángel Sánchez from the Bernabéu and not by those in charge of the Valdebebas ‘factory’.

Pablo is the son of Esteban Torre, a Racing player in the First Division from 1989 to 1997, and he is following in the footsteps of his father. Both began playing in the team of their town, Marina Sport, to enter the racinguista quarry in the children’s category. Esteban was international in the lower categories (and European U-16 champion in 1988, along with Lasa, Urzaiz and Cuellar, among others) and Pablo is one of the leaders of the Santi Denia Sub-19 that this month will fight in the Elite Round to qualify for the European Championship. The career of the racinguista player has been taken in a very measured way by his father, rejecting the numerous offers he has had since he was 12 years old to leave Cantabria. For a year, Arturo Canales, CEO of AC Talent, has entered the equation as Pablo’s representative. It so happens that Canales is also the agent of Xavi Hernández, Barça coach, which has certainly not affected the Blaugrana’s interest in signing Pablo Torre.

Pablo Torre is an attacking midfielder, he can play as a midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 like the one used by Racing or as a midfielder in a 4-3-3 like the one he played in the Verdiblanca academy. Pablo made his debut in the first team last season, at the age of 17, under the guidance of Javi Rozada and since then he has been the undisputed starter. Now, still at a young age, he has already accumulated 46 official matches for Racing and 10 goals. In this course he is the top scorer and the team’s top assister, with six goals and six assists. He is also the responsible for launching all set-piece actions and has scored two direct free kicks, against Rayo Majadahonda and Real Unión, to frame. It is no coincidence, many days he stays alone after training to improve his shots.

It so happens that Racing is now going to find a juicy income in its accounts because Pablo and his family repeatedly rejected offers to leave when they could do so for free and without the club. So confident were they in the club in the proven racingism of the Torres that in the first months of 2020 they still did not offer him a contract and there, already at a youthful age, yes, the player was about to go to Real Sociedad. He got to go to San Sebastián, visit Zubieta and meet with the sports director, Roberto Olabe, and the txuri-urdin president Jokin Aperribay. There yes, finally, the El Sardinero club reacted and in full confinement due to the pandemic, Vice President Pedro Ortiz closed a contract for five seasons and a clause of 2.5 million. Less than a year later, the club asked to raise the termination clause to the current 10 million in exchange, obviously, for improving their emoluments. The Torres once again said yes to Racing. As usual. Although the contract does not end until 2025, all parties assume that he will leave Santander on June 30, 2022. Pablo’s dream is to be able to say goodbye from the balcony of the City Hall celebrating a promotion.