Transfer news:Atletico Madrid last night effectively ruled out any chance of the striker Fernando Torres leaving the club this summer. Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool have been tracking the Spain international.
The Atletico president, Enrique Cerezo, has grown tired of the speculation surrounding his captain and any bids will be rebuffed unless they trigger the release clause in his contract. That figure is understood to be around £27 million, a sum out of the reach of United, Liverpool and even Chelsea, given Roman Abramovich's recent indications that such big spending at Stamford Bridge will cease.
Atletico's failure to reach next season's Uefa Cup will not force their president to hand over a player who has scored 82 goals in 212 league games since making his debut as a 17-year-old, as well as scoring 14 times in 42 matches for Spain.
"Torres is an Atletico Madrid player and I think he will stay here for many years to come," Cerezo said recently. "This happens every year. Everyone talks about rumours and throws figures about but Atletico are clear. Anyway, even if we put him up for sale, would he really want to leave?"
Liverpool are still searching for recruits to Rafael Benitez's squad. The manager has spoken at length with the club's new owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, and Torres has been mentioned. Cerezo's stance may serve as a test as to whether the Americans boast the financial clout that had been initially envisaged. Frustration is welling among supporters as there have been no big-money signings since the new owners arrived.
That is mirrored among the management staff, particularly given the plea for urgency in the market issued by Benitez in the wake of the Champions League final defeat to Milan last month. The club's chief executive, Rick Parry, continues to work behind the scenes and players are also likely to leave Anfield in the near future, potentially raising more funds for arrivals. The Wales striker Craig Bellamy has attracted interest from West Ham and abroad and Djibril Cisse could join either Bolton or Marseille.
Any hopes Liverpool had of signing the Charlton striker Darren Bent could also be choked after the Championship club's chief executive, Peter Varney, confirmed they would stick to their £17 million valuation of the England forward. Charlton accepted a bid from West Ham worth that amount last week, only for Bent to refuse the move after discussions over personal terms.
"We have a valuation and we will not sell for less than that," said Varney, who has rejected a £10 million bid from Liverpool and is in regular contact with Tottenham Hotspur. "Other bids have not met our valuation. West Ham matched our valuation and that was why they were given permission last week to speak to Darren. No other club has managed that and as things stand Darren will be staying with Charlton. He is our player and under contract to us."
Roy Keane, the Sunderland manager who is currently searching for centre-halves, has made an inquiry about Stoke City's Danny Higginbotham. A one-time team-mate of Keane at Manchester United, Higginbotham (29) moved on to Derby and Southampton before joining Stoke, where he won the Championship club's player of the season award last month. Sunderland have arranged a friendly with Claudio Ranieri's Juventus at the Stadium of Light on August 4th to mark the 10th anniversary of the stadium's opening.
Although Portsmouth have not made a formal bid for Middlesbrough's Yakubu Aiyegbeni they are understood to have asked about their former striker's availability and would be willing to buy the Nigerian in part exchange for the midfielder Gary O'Neil.
Thaksin Shinawatra's lawyers were last night putting the finishing touches to the takeover bid for Manchester City that will see Sven-Goran Eriksson offered the chance to resurrect his career.
While Eriksson was mulling over whether to accept the opportunity to return to English football, Thaksin and his London-based representatives were preparing their formal takeover offer.
- Guardian Service
