TORRES IS REDS NUMBER ONE TARGET

Atletico Madrid skipper Fernando Torres has become Liverpool’s top target. Reds boss Rafa Benitez has made the 23-year-old striker his number one priority after learning that the Madrid club have finally agreed to part with their prize asset. But with Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal all having been linked with the international striker in the past, the Reds are keen to tie up a deal quickly.

Capturing a player of Torres’ stature would appease both Benitez and Reds’ fans who are becoming impatient at the lack of activity in the transfer market since Benitez’s bleak Athens post-mortem. Torres could cost between £24m and £27m, the release figure believed to be in the player’s contract.

Atletico Madrid have steadfastly refused to sell Torres since he burst onto the scene as one of the most exciting 17-year-old’s in European football. But a failure to qualify for next season’s UEFA Cup appears to have forced their hand. Torres has scored 82 goals in 212 league appearances for Atletico, with 14 goals in 42 international appearances.

The Spanish striker was pictured in May, bizarrely appearing to show he already wears Liverpool’s heart on his sleeve. During an Atletico match against Real Sociedad, Torres skipper’s armband came loose, revealing the Kop’s famous ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ slogan on the reverse.