Transfer news round-up: Valencia to offer Fernando Torres an escape; Chelsea get serious over Wayne Rooney; Joey Barton forces a move to Everton
We select today's top transfer stories plus bring you a club-by-club guide to the latest rumours
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Your support makes all the difference.The transfer window is open which means it's that time of year when stories of clubs spending ludicrous sums of money on players you've never heard of is par for the course. Here, we take a look at some of today's more intriguing rumours...
With Valencia apparently set to lose striker Robert Soldado to Tottenham, the Spanish club are reported to have contacted Chelsea with a view to securing the services of Fernando Torres. After seeing interest in Manchester United forward Javier Hernandez fall on deaf ears, Valencia’s attention has turned to Torres, whose place at Chelsea was thrown into doubt after the Blues’ interest in Wayne Rooney was revealed.
The London club are serious about snaring the 27-year-old, and are preparing a second offer of £40m to try and prise him away from his employers of nine years.
Divisive midfielder Joey Barton is eager to force through a move to Everton, the club he supported as a boy, and is prepared to take a wage cut to make his dream switch a reality. Everton boss Roberto Martinez is said to be a fan of the tough-tackling Barton, who is reluctant to make his spell on loan at Marseilles from QPR a permanent transfer.
Liverpool gaffer Brendan Rogers spoke out over the unsettled Luis Suarez, claiming that the striker ‘totally understands’ why the club have comprehensively rejected Arsenal’s advances, which most recently took the form of a bid for £40m plus £1. A dispute between Suarez’s camp and Liverpool over the exact terms of a clause in his contract was expected to be taken by the player to the Premier League for clarification, but so far no action has been taken.
But the Liverpool striker may have a new option, as Spurs are rumoured to be planning a shocking swoop to blow their North London rivals out of the water, using some of the money raised from the potential sale of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid to secure the Uruguayan hitman. And they will have a lot of money to play with, with some reports claiming that chief executive Daniel Levy has slapped a £125m price tag on the Welshman.
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