Torres Wants Spain Return as Chelsea Prepare to Axe £50m Failure – Report
Falcao has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Torres
Fernando Torres is likely to be forced to sit on the bench for the crucial Champions League tie against Juventus amid rumours that he wants to seal a return to Spain.
The Daily Mail has reported that Torres is determined to leave Chelsea for a Spanish side as he desperately attempts to rediscover the form that made him one of the most feared strikers in European football.
Torres first came to prominence while playing for Atletico Madrid as he came through the youth system and went on to captain the side towards the end of his six year spell in the first team.
However, it was only really once he moved to Liverpool and began to play regularly in the Champions League that he carved out a reputation as one of the top strikers in Europe as he scored 33 goals in his first season at Anfield.
Since his move away from Liverpool, Torres has failed to rediscover his form and has scored just 19 goals in 86 appearances in all competitions.
This lack of form in front of goal has led Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo to assess his options and the Mail believes that the Italian will give a start to Daniel Sturridge as the Blues look to secure a vital away win in Turin.
Di Matteo has come under pressure after Chelsea lost 2-1 to West Brom on Saturday and the former midfielder will be keen to use the January transfer window to bolster his attacking options.
The Mail believes that Chelsea will continue their interest in Atletico Madrid striker Falcao, with Torres potentially being used as a makeweight and returning to a club where the fans still worship him.
The Colombian striker has a buyout clause believed to be around £48million and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich may well be prepared to fork out the sizeable fee in order for the club to continue their assault on the Premier League.
Di Matteo has professed his admiration for Falcao, further hinting that Chelsea may well attempt to sign the prolific striker in January.
"Falcao is one of the best strikers, probably, in European and world football. His ratio of goals per game is quite impressive not just this season but over the last three years, at Porto and Atletico Madrid. If you ask any manager, he'd have him in his team," said Di Matteo.
"I know the window's nearing and there'll be a lot of speculation for our club, but whatever we do we'll keep it behind closed doors."
While Falcao has firmly secured his reputation as one of the best strikers in the world, Torres has looked horribly out of form again this season, despite hopes that he would flourish without the competition that Didier Drogba brought.
With the powerful Ivorian now playing his club football in China, it was hoped that Torres would grab his chance and there were early signs as he scored four Premier League goals. However, he has now gone five league games without a goal and was particularly poor against Wes Brom.
There have been rumours that Torres could return to Liverpool, as manager Brendan Rodgers is keen to strengthen his forward options, but the Mail says that a return to Spain seems the most likely option for a striker who has won just about everything with his club and country.
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