Fernando Torres is set to leave Atletico Madrid in the coming weeks. This much we knew already.
The former Liverpool and Chelsea striker announced last month that he would leave Atleti in the summer, three years after rejoining his boyhood club.
Torres isn’t expected to retire just yet, and so there’s been plenty of speculation as to where he’ll be playing his football in the next year.
A move to Major League Soccer is reportedly an option, with Bastian Schweinsteiger’s Chicago Fire said to be interested in the World Cup winner. The Chinese Super League’s Beijing Renhe is also thought to be a possibility. However, if reports from Japan are to be believed, a move to Sagan Tosu also be on the cards for Torres.
Hochi Shimbun, the Japanese sports newspaper, claim that Sagan Tosu – currently next to bottom in the J League – are lining up an audacious move for the 34-year-old which would see him make around £3.5m annually.
The report has been picked up by Spanish outlet Marca, which says that Sagan Tosu would be willing to part with Colombian Victor Ibarbo – their current overseas player – if it meant securing Torres.
Torres came through the youth ranks at Atleti, eventually leaving them for Anfield in 2007. Despite being a key player for the first three years at the club, his form dipped during his fourth season on Merseyside and he was allowed to leave for Chelsea in January 2011.
Despite scoring a crucial goal in the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona in 2012, Torres never rediscovered his best form at Stamford Bridge. He left in 2014 for AC Milan, before finally returning to Atleti.
