Manchester City director of football Txiki Begiristain said the club had been tracking Ferran Torres for some time and backed him to reach the “next level” under Pep Guardiola.

“We have followed Ferran’s progress closely and have been very impressed,” he said.

“He is young and still developing, but his technical qualities are exactly what we are looking for in a winger.

“He is quick, direct, can create space with one movement and is capable of producing match-winning moments.

“I feel this is the perfect place for him to develop and with Pep in charge he can take his game to the next level.”

City have moved quickly to find a replacement for Leroy Sane after the Germany international moved to Bayern Munich in a deal worth an initial €49m (£45m/$58m) earlier in the summer.

Guardiola is expected to follow up the signing of Torres with the addition of Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake in the coming days in a deal worth £40m ($52m), with a potential further £1m in add-ons.

Torres becomes City’s first major signing of the summer following deals for Juventus forward Pablo Moreno, Brazilian full-back Yan Couto from Coritiba and Burkina Faso defender Issa Kabore from Mechelen.

City are expecting a busy summer as they try to close the gap on Premier League champions Liverpool and are likely to add another central defender and forward before the transfer window closes.