From The Times
June 21, 2007
£27m price will not stop Liverpool putting Torres top of shopping list by James Ducker
Liverpool’s protracted search for a world-class striker took another twist yesterday when it emerged that Rafael Benítez has revived his attempts to sign Fernando Torres, the Atlético Madrid and Spain forward. Atlético are desperate to keep Torres, but after failing to qualify for the Uefa Cup on the final weekend of the Spanish season last weekend, the club have reluctantly agreed to part with their most prized asset.
Torres, 23, has a release clause of about £27 million in his contract, which expires in 2009, but having concluded that he does not have the funds to compete at the top end of the transfer market, Benítez will either have to drive Atlético’s asking price down or offer a player in part exchange.
Talks have taken place and there were suggestions last night that a delegation from Liverpool was in Madrid trying to tie up a deal before other clubs could muscle in — Torres has attracted interest from Manchester United and Chelsea, among others — but an agreement is not thought to be imminent.
It has been mooted that Luis GarcÍa, who is out of contract at Anfield next summer, could be offered as bait, in addition to about £16 million in cash, although BenÍtez is not believed to be keen on the prospect of losing the former Barcelona forward.
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Nonetheless, BenÍtez is said to be confident of signing Torres, whom he had identified as his principal target, along with Samuel Eto’o, of Barcelona, before it emerged that there were disagreements between George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks, the club’s co-owners, over transfer funds that prompted the manager to pursue an alternative list of targets.
Diego Milito, the Real Zaragoza and Argentina forward, is under consideration, although BenÍtez has misgivings about his lack of pace.
The arrival of Torres, who has scored 14 goals in 42 international appearances, would go some way towards appeasing supporters who have become alarmed about the club’s inactivity in the transfer market. Four weeks have passed since BenÍtez’s plea for the club to move swiftly to secure players — or risk losing them — after the Champions League final defeat by AC Milan and yet, but for the capture of Andriy Voronin, the Ukraine forward, and a handful of promising youngsters, there have been no prominent signings.
That is expected to change, however, as talks progress with Florent Malouda, the Lyons winger, despite the French club’s insistence that they will not accept less than £17 million. Alessandro Mancini, the £11 million-rated AS Roma winger, is also on BenÍtez’s radar.
Although doubts persist about how Torres would adapt to the Barclays Premier League, the striker is known to be desperate to work with BenÍtez.
Coincidentally, he was given a captain’s armband bearing the logo “You’ll Never Walk Alone” by friends for his birthday in March and was spotted wearing it last season, adding to speculation.
Mohamed Sissoko, the Mali midfield player, is expected to sign a new four-year contract with Liverpool.
