Meet the new boss, same as the old boss? Torres's
time under Rafa Benitez (left) appears numbered, with Carlo
Ancelotti ready to welcome him with open arms
Chelsea have made a dramatic move for Fernando Torres
that they hope will catch Manchester City cold and take the
Liverpool striker to Stamford Bridge for a British record transfer
fee that could reach £70million.
Sportsmail understands
preliminary discussions have already taken place, with the outcome
of those meetings positive enough to convince Roman Abramovich that
he will beat his big-spending rivals at Eastlands to the
26-year-old Spaniard.
Chelsea owner Abramovich has been relatively quiet in the
transfer market by his own extravagant standards since Jose
Mourinho left. But the success and stability Carlo Ancelotti has
brought, achieved with an attacking style Abramovich appreciates,
have convinced the club’s Russian billionaire to make another
stellar signing.
Chelsea can secure their third Barclays Premier League title
during Abramovich’s tenure with the right result at home to Wigan
on Sunday — before then chasing a possible domestic Double with the
FA Cup final the following weekend — and Abramovich now wants to
add the extra quality to the side that will enhance their chances
of finally winning the Champions League.
Chelsea are not afraid to sign Liverpool’s best players. In 2005
and 2006 they went close to luring captain Steven Gerrard from
Anfield and now they are sure they will succeed with the player
named in the FIFPro World XI for the last two years and ranked
third behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka at the FIFA World Player of
the Year gala for 2008.
Amid the chaos at Anfield, fears have already been expressed
that Torres, who joined from Atletico Madrid for around £20m in
2007, will leave Liverpool this summer.
It was only last year that he made a commitment to the
Merseysiders by signing a new four-year contract worth
£110,000-a-week. But the Liverpool landscape has since changed
significantly, with under-fire manager Rafa Benitez now on the
verge of leaving for Juventus, yet more uncertainty over the future
ownership of the club, and the team’s failure to qualify for next
season’s Champions League hanging over Anfield.
Only this week Torres’s team-mate, Yossi Benayoun,
said: ‘A club like Liverpool must do everything they can to keep
players like Stevie (Gerrard) and Fernando but a lot of things can
change and in a few weeks we will know better.’
Benitez has valued Torres at £70m and Anfield officials have
said that they will not sell their prized asset.
But until now, Torres has only enjoyed major success at
international level, having scored the winning goal for Spain in
the final of the last European Championships, and Liverpool’s
shocking season has convinced him to look elsewhere.
Spanish flyer: Torres fires the opener in the Euro
2008 final - the striker's only major honour to date
With the continued uncertainty over the future of
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini, and no guarantee as yet
that his club will secure Champions League football next season, it
is understood that Torres would favour a move to a more settled
club who look like winning the championship.
After watching his colleagues lose pitifully to Chelsea on
Sunday, Torres cut a forlorn figure as the players did a circuit of
the pitch to thank the fans for their loyal support. Indeed, he
already looked like a man ready to move on.
Liverpool were only concerned with his fitness yesterday, and
whether he would be fit to participate in the World Cup after
suffering a knee injury during a Europa League clash with Benfica
last month.
Ready to move on: Torres (right) cut a forlorn
figure at Anfield on Sunday
‘Whether he will be fit for Spain’s first game or not is
uncertain,’ said Peter Brukner, who is overseeing his recovery at
Anfield.
‘But, if he continues to progress the way he is, he should be
fit to play at some stage during the World Cup.’
By the time he does he will almost certainly be heading out of
Liverpool.
