Torres: This was no rush job

FERNANDO TORRES revealed Chelsea made their move for him long before the close of the January transfer window and then promised Liverpool fans that he will not celebrate if he scores against his former club tomorrow.

The Blues’ record-breaking swoop for Torres looked to have been a classic smash-and-grab affair, with the £50million deal sealed shortly before Monday’s 11pm deadline and only four days after the Reds confirmed they had rejected a £35m bid for the striker.

But Torres revealed during his unveiling as a Chelsea player at a jam-packed press conference yesterday that he learnt Chelsea had approached Liverpool “10 days or 12 days” before the window shut, demonstrating the Barclays Premier League champions had spent some time attempting to prise him away from Merseyside.