By Football Talk.
Chelsea’s pursuit of Fernando Torres has filled the back pages today, with Soccernet claiming to have a ‘source’ that tells them Roman Abramovich has flown out to South Africa to try and complete a deal, while the Daily Mail believes Chelsea have tabled an opening bid of £40m for the Spanish striker. Either way, it’s not encouraging reading for the Anfield faithful.
Roman Flies to South Africa for Torres
Soccernet claim to have a well-placed source who says Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has flown to South Africa in a bid to push through a deal to sign Fernando Torres from Liverpool, with the Russian willing to pay up to £55m to get his man.
Liverpool value Torres at nearer £70m and new manager Roy Hodgson is currently evaluating the futures of several big-name stars at Anfield. The player is focusing on the World Cup with a Semi-Final to look forward to on Wednesday, but with the tournament drawing to a close, Soccernet believes talks are already underway. Their source said:
“Abramovich has authorised the bid of £50 million, and he’s not expected to go much higher than that … [but] I would think he might go to £55 million.”Without any other creditable bidder, he sees no reason to go any higher. It’s quite clear that Liverpool could get more from Manchester City, and the player could earn more from Manchester City, but the player doesn’t want to go there. He wants Champions League football and the chance to win the major honours which he can do at Chelsea.”
Chelsea submit £40m Torres bid
However, the Daily Mail claim that Chelsea have already tabled their opening bid for Torres, believed to be £40m. Liverpool are likely to demand far more for their star man but Roman Abramovich is willing to back Carlo Ancelotti to land his top target, and would pay anything up to £70m.
New Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has already admitted he can not guarentee either Torres or Gerrard will remain at Anfield this summer and due to their financial state, Liverpool would find it hard to resist a substantial offer from Chelsea for Torres.
