Chelsea are on the verge of breaking the British transfer record with the £50 million purchase of Fernando Torres from Liverpool.
The 26-year-old Spaniard is one of the game’s best strikers – something Chelsea are well aware of after his stunning brace against the champions earlier this season.
Torres joined Liverpool from boyhood club Athletico Madrid in 2007 for a club record £23 million. It proved a shrewd purchase with the Torres – nicknamed El Nino – bagging 33 goals in a prolific debut season.
The striker had continued to score by the bucketload for Liverpool until he became disinterested under Roy Hodgson’s ill-fated reign this season.
Kenny Dalglish’s return to the Anfield hotseat led to a resurgence in Torres’ form but the striker officially asked for a transfer from Liverpool on Friday night following a rejected bid from Chelsea.
He has bagged 26 goals for Spain and is a World Cup and Euro Cup winner with his home nation. But he has failed to win a single trophy at Anfield.
If the transfer goes through, Torres will link up with Chelsea’s talismanic Ivorian Didier Drogba – creating one of world football’s deadliest front line.
Here’s Torres’ first 50 goals for Liverpool