Newcastle have been installed as the favourites to sign Fernando Torres in the January transfer window, according to the latest bookmakers’ odds.
Sky Bet priced the north-east giants at 6/1 on Wednesday afternoon to land the Atletico Madrid striker by 3 February of next year.
Newcastle are ahead in the betting of a number of other Premier League clubs, including Southampton (8/1), West Ham (16/1) and Everton (25/1).
This comes after the Mirror reported that the 33-year-old former Liverpool and Chelsea forward is eyeinga potential return to Premier League football and his representatives have informed the Magpies of his availability in January.
It is said that fellow Premier League side Southampton have also been alerted about the striker and any club interested will have to pay part of his annual salary of £2.2million.
Good move for Newcastle?
Acquiring the services of one of the most talented strikers of his generation would be a massive coup for the Magpies, even though the Torres of today is not the Torres who was one of the most feared front men in the world during his Liverpool days. The Spaniard has a glittering CV, despite a mixed spell at Chelsea, and he would provide nous and a predatory instinct to Rafael Benitez’s team lacking an A-list forward, or even a B-list one. Torres, who is reportedly looking to prove himself once more in England, would be the perfect man to come in, lift the crowd and get the goals that can steer the Magpies comfortably away from a potential relegation battle.
This Is Futbol rating 9/10
Likely to happen?
It’s a definite go-er, as Torres is on the fringes at Atletico and has been an unused substitute in their last three league encounters. Moreover, summer signing Diego Costa is eligible to feature for Atletico at the start of next year to further push the veteran down the pecking order. With former mentor Benitez in charge, could Torres be tempted into a Premier League swansong?
This Is Futbol rating 6/10