Chelsea confirm Torres Milan move

London - Spain striker Fernando Torres will join AC Milan permanently
from Chelsea in the New Year, the English Premier League leaders said
on Saturday.

The news came several hours after Spanish media reports claimed the
former Liverpool forward would be returning to his first club Atletico
Madrid.
The 30-year-old had joined Milan on a two-year loan at the beginning
of this season.

He won the Champions League, the Europa League and the FA Cup in
three-and-a-half years at Stamford Bridge, but never lived up to
goal-scoring expectations after a £50 million transfer from
Liverpool.

Torres will join Milan permanently on January 5, Chelsea said.
The deal does not rule out a return to Atletico in the upcoming
transfer window, though.

The Spanish champions have indicated they do not have the funds for a
permanent deal themselves, but may yet sign him on another loan deal
from Milan once he has left Chelsea.

In fact, Sports newspapers such as Marca and AS and national daily El
Pais had said earlier that Torres's move back to Atletico was decided
after the Madrid club's Italian player Alessio Cerci agreed to move to
Milan in return.
A return home could be what Torres needs to reignite a once
sparkling career.

The World Cup winner and double European champion scored 46 goals in
172 Chelsea appearances, but only 20 of those came in 110 league
outings -- a poor return when compared with the 65 Premier League
goals he scored in 102 appearances for Liverpool.

Torres moved to Stamford Bridge late on January transfer deadline
day in 2011 for a then record British fee. Initial struggles appeared
to be a crisis of confidence, as he managed just one goal in 18
appearances before the end of the season.

The following season he scored 11 goals, including a hat-trick against
QPR and a vital breakaway goal against Barcelona in the Champions
League semi-final, but still looked a shadow of his former self.

His best season in a Chelsea shirt came in the following campaign as
he scored 22 goals across seven competitions, including the winner in
the Europa League final against Benfica.

He managed only 11 goals the following season, after which Jose
Mourinho broke up his misfiring striking trio of Torres, Samuel Eto'o
and Demba Ba, all of whom left the club.
Since his move to Milan he has scored just one goal in 10 appearances.

- AFP

Posted in: Chelsea