By Siobhan McCall.
Their seemingly endless pot of cash has already secured the signature of David Silva, and it looks as if Manchester City could also be ready to launch a bid for his international teammate, Fernando Torres. Well at least according to Harry Redknapp. When asked by talkSPORT whether his Champions League bound team were considering making a bid for the Liverpool striker, the Spurs boss admitted that they could not compete with the financial might of City and he was quoted by the Metro as saying;
They’re in for Torres – and if they end up getting him and one or two others then they can do anything. It’s going to make it even harder to make the top four again next season, that’s for definite.
Rumours of the Eastlands side’s interest in the Spanish forward have been rife for the past few seasons. This summer, however, the majority of the speculation has linked Torres with a move to Chelsea, who can offer Champions League football and a rather glittering trophy cabinet. Not to mention that a potential linkup between Didier Drogba and Torres could be lethal. Should Torres move on from Liverpool, fans would expect that the lure of playing on Europe’s highest stage and title-winning credentials would be the motivation, neither of which City can currently supply and El Nino doesn’t strike me as the type of player who is primarily driven by money, so I think it would take a huge bid for Liverpool to sell him to the side who only finished two places ahead of them last season.
Reports today have suggested that Blues manager Carlo Ancelotti is planning a £30 million coup. Whether this is just media speculation or Chelsea are going to test the resolve of a club with a much publicised £350m debt remains to be seen but I’m sure many Reds would be bitterly disappointed if Liverpool let their star striker go for this amount. Torres came to Anfield in 2007 in a deal worth around £20 million and so for Liverpool to make only a £10m profit, considering Torres prolific goal scoring rate, doesn’t seem the most sound of business. Especially considering that Arsenal are asking around £60m for their captain, Cesc Fabregas. The Gunners may not have the same financial woes as Liverpool, but both players are key assets to their Premiership sides and will return from the World Cup, although perhaps with winners medals, knowing that, on an individual level, they did not have the best of tournaments. Arsenal seem intent on pricing Barcelona out of a move and I hope that Liverpool will do the same for Torres, especially since Chairman Martin Broughton has stated that;
We don’t have any desire or need to sell players in order to pay down the debt.
Torres is among the best in the world and with Liverpool’s current situation, he’s in the irreplaceable category. None of the other top strikers in Europe, even if they are looking for a move away from their current side, are going to be most attracted to a team in the Europa League. Liverpool might have the illustrious history, but on current form they are not the most appealing side, and should they lose Steven Gerrard and Torres, their short-term allure can only get worse. So if what Broughton is saying is true, I hope Liverpool do everything they can to hold onto El Nino, and I’m sure he’s professional enough to give his all for one more season. Torres has yet to make any official comment on the speculation surrounding him, despite the many quotes ambiguously linked to him, so lets hope that, in this case, no news is good news.
