Torres potentially then heading to Atletico Madrid.
Chelsea have released a statement on their official website this evening confirming that striker Fernando Torres has made his loan move from Stamford Bridge to AC Milan a permanent one, with reports suggesting that this is a precursor to the Spanish international rejoining former side Atletico Madrid on a loan deal in exchange for Italian striker Alessio Cerci.
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The statement suggests that Torres’ loan move to the San Siro will becoming permanent on January 5th, meaning that it could yet be some time before the loan exchange deal between Atletico and Milan is able to go through, with Milan set to sign former Torino forward Cerci on a loan deal after they missed out on him this summer.
Torres will return to the club where he started his career and whom he is known to support, with Atletico assistant manager German Burgos quoted by the Guardian as saying that the deal is close to completion and that he and Diego Simeone will be able to get the best out of the former Liverpool man:
“He will be a very important reinforcement for the second half of the season. We will get the best out of him, the same as everyone, and he knows where he is coming to.”
Cerci has suffered from similar problems to Torres in Serie A since making the move to La Liga in the summer, with the former Torino star, who was one of Italy’s most impressive players last season, struggling for both form and playing time under Simeone.