Move back to Anfield could tempt Stamford Bridge flop.
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Chelsea have sensationally offered Fernando Torres back to his former club Liverpool.
Blues owner Roman Abramovich has finally ran out of patience with the 29 year old striker and will look to offload the Spaniard this summer but will give his former Anfield employers first refusal on the faltering marksman.
Abramovich forked out £50m to bring Torres to Stamford Bridge back in January 2011 but the last portion of the payment was due to be completed in the summer of 2013 and the Russian billionaire is willing to allow the forward to return to Liverpool on the proviso that the Merseyside club forfeits the request for the outstanding £15m that the West London club still owes as part of the original sale.
Fernando Torres has enjoyed a torrid time at Chelsea and could well be interested in a return to Liverpool, where he arguably hit the best form of his career to date.
Torres cost Liverpool £26.5m in July 2007 and was an instant success, netting 31 goals in his first season at the club and racked up a very respectable total of 81 goals in 142 appearances before leaving for Chelsea.
Abramovich was happy to break the British transfer record to sign the World Cup winner and though he initially stood by the striker as he struggled for form the Chelsea owner is now ready to bid farewell to what he considers one of the worst investments of his career, both in football and in his general business career as whole.
Fernando Torres is in the middle of another shocking run of form having gone a dozen Premier League games without a goal but Brendan Rodgers may well still be open to the idea of the player returning to help boost his strike-force.
Though Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge are both in good form Rodgers doesn’t have a wealth of alternative options, especially with summer signing Fabio Borini being a huge disappointment since his move to the club from Roma.
From a business point of view it’s an idea that Liverpool’s American owners are apparently willing to consider. The return of a former favourite could well be a marketing success and the fact that such a signing wouldn’t actually cost the club any money as such is also appealing to Fenway Sports Group chief John Henry.
It is thought that the club are planning ahead for such a deal, keen to make as much capital from what would be a major summer transfer, and Jordan Henderson is ready to surrender his number 14 shirt to Torres this summer.