Liverpool have refused a written transfer request from Fernando Torres as the Spanish striker seeks to force the club’s hand following the rejected transfer bid from Chelsea.
After several sources reported the formal request form the Spanish striker on Friday night, Liverpool moved quickly and issued a statement offering confirmation…
“Fernando Torres tonight submitted a written transfer request, which has been rejected by Liverpool.Fernando is under a long-term contract and the Club expects him to honour the commitment he made to Liverpool FC and its supporters when he signed the agreement.”
This follows an official bid from Chelsea that was revealed just 24-hours earlier; an approach that was swiftly rejected by Liverpool. Torres however, appears to have other ideas and reports on Friday suggested that the striker was “open” to the move and has urged the club to consider the offer. On Friday night those stories escalated further and Torres and his advisors have clearly decided to take more formal action to push for an Anfield exit.
The Daily Telegraph have suggested that Chelsea are ready to act on this latest development and are willing to up their offer by throwing in Daniel Sturridge as a makeweight, along with £30 million in transfer funds.
As suggested yesterday, Liverpool would seem unlikely to sell their star asset in the January window, although today’s news that a fee with Ajax for the signature of Luis Suarez has been agreed, proved an inevitable catalyst for further speculation. A Torres transfer request does considerably change the complexion of the situation and, with Chelsea poised, there now seems a possibility that the January transfer window will see a move between two British top flight clubs that would genuinely shake up the entire Premier League.
Fantasy Managers can only sit back and watch this one unfold further. Having already weathered storms served up by disgruntled versions of Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez this season, it will be interesting to see if this situation settles with a similar outcome. However, with Chelsea ready to offer funds and Liverpool already in possession of a new striker, something could actually materialise from this latest “sensational transfer saga”.
In the short-term, Torres is of course due to figure in Wednesday’s Premier League clash with Stoke at Anfield; right now, his involvement in that game looks unlikely as his future at Liverpool spirals into doubt.
