A $82.9 million investment with a return of just 19 Premier League goals.
Not the way Roman Abramovich hoped that asset would build value.
With The Mirror reporting Torres’s Chelsea career is over, Jose Mourinho can say whatever he wants, but now it’s relevant to speculate what would happen should Torres indeed depart soon.
Problem is, a sale of Torres would be bad for many of the parties involved, so much so that it could force the Blues to simply sit on their devaluing asset rather than pull the trigger on a big loss.
It’s quite difficult to speculate how much a suitor would have to offer in order to convince Chelsea to take a loss on their investment, but there are a few hints.
Online soccer database (and excellent source of information) Transfermarkt.com lists Torres’s market value at a staggeringly low $27.5 million, just a third of their original purchase.
That number is probably on the low side, but not by much. Torres is on the wrong side of 30, has battled a few nagging muscle injuries this year, and he’s become more of a problem than a teammate in his Chelsea tenure. With Jose Mourinho preferring to deputize midfielder Andre Schurrle at striker in two pivotal matches this season over Torres, it’s clear he’s wearing out the patience of yet another manager.
So who could be interested? It would make sense for Tottenham to take a flyer on Torres, especially if they condemn Roberto Soldado to the “flop” pile and sell him back to Spain.
A Spanish club would likely welcome Torres back to his home country, maybe a struggling Valencia who are parched for goals.
A loan deal would also be likely, with the possibility that nobody could pony up enough of a fee to appease Abramovich and convince him to take a loss. The biggest roadblock to any deal, however, would likely be the 30-year-old’s wages.
One rumor that has surfaced includes a loan deal to Inter, but the cash-strapped Serie A side would likely need Chelsea to contribute a large portion of the Spaniard’s roughly $19 million per-year salary.
His contract with Chelsea runs until June of 2016.