Torres Set For Liverpool Move

He may have came close to leaving Atletico Madrid for every summer over the past five years if we are to believe the gutter press but this summer looks like finally seeing the end of the Fernando Torres / Atletico Madrid love affair.

While nothing has been signed and sealed so far there are clear signs emerging from Atletico's Vicente Calderón stadium that the club are preparing for life after Torres and with today's announcement of a deal being concluded for Villareal's Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan, it looks like it's now or never for the young Spaniard dubbed El Nino by his adoring Atletico fans.

Surprisingly, competition for his signature seems to have been a one horse race with Liverpool being the only real contender for much of this summer. In the past the big Spanish clubs would have been mentioned alongside the usual clutch of Italian and English giants but now it looks like Rafael Benitez is the only one prepared to match Atletico's buyout clause on Torres's contract with a bid of around £26.5m as Liverpool's new American owners finally open the pursestrings.

The Madrid fans have already been demonstrating in the streets of the Spanish capital at the thought of Torres leaving but in the current market a large fee for his club and the chance to play for this season's Champion's League finalists and one of European football's true giants is too hard for either party to turn down.

Whether Torres can adapt to the Premiership will be the most interesting questions as his fellow countryman Fernando Morientes found it quite a struggle during his short stay with Liverpool but for now that question has to remain unanswered. All we can do is wait for Fernando Torres to return from holiday in early July and put his signature on a Liverpool contract.