Liverpool striker Fernando Torres will not quit the club this summer in order to pursue success elsewhere, according to his agent.
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has admitted he is an admirer of the Spanish superstar, while Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea have also been credited with an interest in the past.
Liverpoolâs failure to qualify for next seasonâs UEFA Champions League has led to rumours that Torres will want to leave the club having signed from Atletico Madrid in 2007 in a search for silverware.
But his representative, Jose Antonio Peton, has dismissed the speculation and has announced that the 26-year-old will still be a Reds player in 2010/11, although he has made no guarantees beyond the next campaign.
Peton told Punto Radio in Spain: "For the moment I can assure fans that Fernando will continue at Liverpool next season.
"Everything is down to Liverpoolâs attitude but for the time being Fernando is happy at the club and has a good contract.
âLiverpool have not spoken to us about his future, so he is just concentrating on playing at the World Cup.â
Super news. Would really have been a step backwards⌠Not sure how I feel about the prospect of losing Gerard however.
Reports as always linking him with a move, particularly to Madrid. If they got 40m I think it would be great businessâŚ
But who do you replace him with is the question⌠As a player I think he should fuck off and set himself a new challenge while he still can.But as a fan I would like him to stay. Either way he has given his all to the club and cant be begrudged.
Yeah selling off the best striker in the world can never be considered a good move.
I donât really know on Gerrard either. It depends on the state of the club and if finances are available. If there is none then selling Gerrard for 40 million would make a lot of sense but if the finances are sorted out then I would hold onto him. Gerrard and Torres is still as good of a strikeforce as you can get.
Aurelio heads for Liverpool exit
Liverpool defender Fabio Aurelio is to leave the club next week after failing to agree a new contract.
The 30-year-old became the first Brazilian to sign for the Merseyside outfit when he joined in July 2006 on a free transfer from Valencia.
But his Anfield career was hampered by injuries and he has turned down the offer of a new pay-as-you-play deal.
âWe had been trying to work something out but it was a pity that we couldnât,â said manager Rafael Benitez.
âHe has given us absolutely fantastic service. The one problem we had with Fabio was that he suffered too many injuries and it was such a pity because he has great quality.â
Aurelio missed the start of 2009/10 season after sustaining a freak knee problem while playing football with his children and a thigh problem at the end of February prematurely ended his season.
He made a total of 23 appearances in 2009/10, including 14 in the Premier League and seven in Europe.
Benitez said Aurelioâs injury problems put more pressure on 21-year-old left-back Emiliano Insua. The Argentine played 44 matches before he too succumbed to injury late in the season.
âWith Fabio being out so much, it meant that we had to use Insua more than we would have liked and that was not easy for him,â added Benitez.
âIt has been a pleasure having him here and we really will miss him. You are talking about an amazing person who gave 100% all the time. We wish him all the best.â
I agree with that but I think Torres is committing himself on the premise that Rafa remains. He has always been a big Rafa supporter apparently, along with Reina.
Depends on what you believe. Iâve also read that their relationship has deteriorated big time. And you may recall him looking confused/pissed off when he was substituted towards the end of the season. Think Rafaâs lost the majority of the dressing room, just by looking at the body language of the players.
I hope so. In fact, I hope it gets so bad that he physically loses the players. That way theyâve no-one to put the jerseys on and they get suspended for not fulfilling fixtures.
Very important summer for Liverpool Football Club. The American owners want to get rid of the football club and itâs extemely important that the new owners have the best interests of the football club at heart. Liverpool Football Club needs to get back where it should be - at the top of league and contending for the European Cup. Itâs very important for the football club that the right people are in charge. Fans of Liuverpool Football Club demand the best and deserve the best.
Massive summer for Liverpool. The reality is that their players arenât good enough to win a league. They need new ones. Unfortunately, they wonât get these with no cash. And their cash flow is fucked with the Banks on their backs. So theyâre openly trying to sell the club. So theyâre selling a club with
i) massive debts
ii) Unhappy players
iii)An angry goatee gimp who doesnât get on with the players as the manager.
iv) Little or no immediate chances to boost cash rather than selling Torres or GerrardâŚ
I saw an interview with a very despondent looking Reina the other day. He was saying that in the absence of new players, getting fourth place was going to be too difficult and the club would have to set âdifferent targetsâ. This expectation thing seems to be a running theme in player interviews over the last month or so. Benitez has supplied them with plenty of excuses by the looks of things.
What interests me is where this whole âcanât compete with the current squadâ thing originated. Itâs not very different from the squad that nearly won the title last year and now they donât believe they can compete with Spurs and City for fourth? I completely agree that Liverpool need new players but this widespread despondency is a different issue. Has this come from Benitez or is it the players who have lost faith in the whole setup? My guess would be the latter and Benitez has realised he canât change their minds.
Yeah - good point but I think it is Benitez who is spooning this shite mostly and the players are buying it. He does this yet he coughed up 20 milllion for Aquilani and doesnât even have the courage of his convictions to actually play him consistently.
