Reports: Fernando Torres to make emotional return to boyhood club Atletico Madrid
AC Milan and Atletico Madrid are reportedly close to reaching an agreement to swap Fernando Torres and Alessio Cerci on a loan deal for a period of 18 months.
Milan’s coach, Filippo Inzaghi, is understood to have met with the chief executive Adriano Galliani after a draw with Roma to discuss transfer plans and determine how best to address the issue. They hope to offer the 30-year-old a temporary switch back to his boyhood club, Atlético, in exchange for Cerci.
Torres, whose parent club is Chelsea, was initially brought to Milan on a two-year loan deal this summer. The World Cup and European Championships winner has scored only one goal in 10 Serie A appearances and has not played in the first-team since the draw against Internazionale on 23rd November.
Cerci, on the other hand, was bought by Atletico on a three-year deal in the summer from Italian club Torino. With the Italy international struggling for game time at Atletico, Milan coach Filippo Inzaghi is hoping some form of switch can be made for the pair, with Torres returning to the club he captained as a teenager all those years ago.
Torres’ wages would be an issue for the Spanish club as he is on a reported £150,000 per week at Chelsea and a deal to take him back to Spain would have to be rubber-stamped by the English club. Chelsea, however, should be fine with letting Torres go to Madrid as they seem desperate to get him off their wage books ever since his £50 million move from Liverpool and the loan move to Milan till the end of his contract with Chelsea was a clear statement of their intentions.
Milan had initially hoped to cancel the arrangement with Chelsea, but the London club are adamant the player is not returning to José Mourinho’s squad. “We have no space,” said the Portuguese when asked recently. “We have no space for players in our list, either in the Champions League or the Premier League.” With that confirmed, the Rossoneri are now exploring alternatives.