£27m Torres heading for Anfield
-
Liverpool and Atlético Madrid have agreed a deal to take Fernando Torres to Anfield. Liverpool will pay fractionally less than the €40m (£27m) buy-out clause Torres has at the Vicente Calderón, leaving the 23-year-old striker to finalise personal terms before the move goes ahead. Neither side anticipates major difficulties in closing the deal, with Liverpool understanding that any percentage of the transfer fee due to Torres must be paid by Atlético.
Luis GarcÃa is set to go in the other direction for almost £4m but although his move facilitates negotiations on Torres and would bring down the cash price, the deals are not interdependent. Liverpool paid £6m for GarcÃa when he joined three summers ago but their manager, Rafa BenÃtez, is prepared to release him and GarcÃa is keen on a return to Spain to play for the club where he spent a successful season in 2002-03, scoring nine times in 30 games.
Although Atlético fans protested against the sale of Torres - the captain, standard-bearer and the player they have called The Kid since he made his debut at 16 - the club have decided it is time to cash in on their greatest asset. "No one is irreplaceable," said their major shareholder, Miguel Angel Gil MarÃn. "We have to build a competitive team and no one player, however good he is, can achieve our objectives on his own. Last time I spoke to Fernando he said he was staying but I can't prevent him having a change of heart and I have to be prepared for that." -
FINALLY
-
He's worth as much as Drogba and Rooney, and double that of Ronaldo. I think Liverpool is taking a huge huge gamble.
Cheers.
CK -
Liverpool will pay record-breaking £27m for Torres
Liverpool are close to delivering the emphatic statement of intent demanded by manager Rafael Benitez having agreed a club record £27m deal with Atletico Madrid for their venerated striker Fernando Torres. The transfer, expected to comprise around £20m in cash plus Luis Garcia, has been accepted in principle by Atletico and is now dependent on the Spanish international declaring an intent to leave his boyhood club when he returns from holiday on 10 July.
Liverpool officials have been in negotiations all week after being rebuffed in their preliminary enquiries for the 23-year-old who has risen through the ranks to captain Atletico, scoring 82 goals in 212 appearances for them, and has been a target for several leading clubs including Chelsea and Manchester United.
Under pressure to make their first major signing of the summer, not least from Benitez, the Anfield hierarchy have accepted that Atletico will not sell Torres for less than the €40m release clause in his contract. And, while that has been agreed with Atletico president Enrique Cerezo, the club want Torres to publicly announce his desire to leave before confirming a departure that will enrage their supporters.
For Liverpool owners George Gillet and Tom Hicks the capture will represent a coup in the face of unease at the lack of big name talent at Anfield. In the wake of the European Cup final defeat in Athens Benitez delivered a damning indictment of Liverpool's recent transfer dealings and claimed: "We talk and talk but we never finish. I am worried about talking to players, for one or two months or even six months, and then losing them. I want things done."
Benitez had hoped to use the club's current record signing, £14m Djibril Cissé, as a makeweight in the deal rather than Garcia, who he brought to Liverpool from Barcelona for £6m in 2004 and wants to keep. However, Cissé made it clear in talks with Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry that he would not join Atletico while Garcia, who played for them in 2002-03, has warmed to the idea of a return to Spain.
Liverpool had hoped to use the Cissé fee for other transfer targets and with around £20m committed on the Torres deal, albeit in instalments, they will have to raise funds through the sale of players such as Craig Bellamy to secure Benitez's remaining objectives for the summer.
Two wingers and a defender will remain on the manager's list once, as expected, the Atletico forward announces his time at the club is over. Madrid have lined up Villarreal's Diego Forlan as a replacement.
Benitez's demand for Liverpool to invest in more potential talent has also been addressed this week, with the club signing 18-year-old defender Mikel San Jose for £270,000 from Athletic Bilbao and 19-year-old Bulgarian goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov on a three-year contract from Levski Sofia.
Midfielder Mohamed Sissoko has signed a new four-year deal at Anfield. -
just hope he'll not be another shevchenko
-
Yeah true, not too sure about him yet since he can't even top the La Liga goal scorer chart... Even Rvn not the top scorer in the EPL can top La Liga in his first year seems to tell you that its not too difficult to score over there... The one thing in his favour i guess would be his age... But still $18 to $20m would be more of a correct price i think. But who knows...Originally posted by CKeer:He's worth as much as Drogba and Rooney, and double that of Ronaldo. I think Liverpool is taking a huge huge gamble.
Cheers.
CK -
Well, at least he will have more time than shev... Shev came when he was already 30... Torres is still only 23 i think... still will have after contract value...Originally posted by mundanE:just hope he'll not be another shevchenko 
-
Yea, and Forlan too. He had a disastros spell with United but he topped the chart in his first year with Villareal and won the European Golden Boot as well.Originally posted by zocoss:Yeah true, not too sure about him yet since he can't even top the La Liga goal scorer chart... Even Rvn not the top scorer in the EPL can top La Liga in his first year seems to tell you that its not too difficult to score over there... The one thing in his favour i guess would be his age... But still $18 to $20m would be more of a correct price i think. But who knows...
I think with Torres impending arrival and Voronin's arrival, one of the strikers will leave.
Cheers.
CK -
And liverpool now lacks someone creative.
-
Isn't that suppose to be Gerrard's department?Originally posted by stellazio:And liverpool now lacks someone creative. -
Oooooh~~~ Crouch/Torres. Can fight for the complete striker system with Tottenham.
-
Nope, no doubt he's one of the most creative in the Liverpool's team but then again maybe Benitez has no use for creative players, since he seems to like the long ball to crouch approach.Originally posted by zocoss:Isn't that suppose to be Gerrard's department? -
i think he'll succeed in the epl. he may not have scored bucketloads in the spanish primera liga, but looking at who's the midfielders are - you'll get the whole picture.
anyway, atletico madrid have been a tad too dependent on torres, and he has grown too big for them. so it's really time to move on.
torres despite his 1.83m frame is surprisingly agile and is good at off-the-ball running. he will mature into one of the most complete and feared striker in world football.
and i'm still wondering the next patrick vieira - mohamed sissoko's ability.
WOAH! 4 yr contract. -
A decent buy.....
-
If this is true, then Rafa finally did a decent deal after so much talk.
-
atletico might not haf gd players to provide goals for torres. but look at toni, not gd players wit him too..he can score 30goals in 1 season...i will say is a huge gamble from liverpool.. gd luck to liverpoolOriginally posted by trendz:i think he'll succeed in the epl. he may not have scored bucketloads in the spanish primera liga, but looking at who's the midfielders are - you'll get the whole picture.
anyway, atletico madrid have been a tad too dependent on torres, and he has grown too big for them. so it's really time to move on.
torres despite his 1.83m frame is surprisingly agile and is good at off-the-ball running. he will mature into one of the most complete and feared striker in world football.
and i'm still wondering the next patrick vieira - mohamed sissoko's ability.
WOAH! 4 yr contract. -
Overseas players are always a gamble, because there will be a risk of them being unable to adapt to English football.
-
god!...finally...two youth player..and now a world-renowned striker...but his scoring stats ain't that good though..hope he will perform well in Anfield..
-
after all the talk abt manu for donkey years, he finally joined pool!
this has got to pool's major signing since........???? -
I hope we get the right Fernando.
At least he's still young. -
Well, if one Fernando fail, try a second one... But if both fail... then wait for the third one to come along... I am sure ah ben would get lucky with one of the Fernandos one day...Originally posted by CoolMyth:I hope we get the right Fernando.
At least he's still young.