Penestae

Forlan switch to allow Torres' move to Liverpool?

Liverpool today appeared to move closer to signing Spain striker Fernando Torres after his current club Atletico Madrid agreed a deal for Villarreal's Diego Forlan.

Torres has been linked with a £27million move to Merseyside and the transfer of former Manchester United frontman Forlan looks likely to pave the way for the 23-year-old to move to Anfield.

Uruguay international Forlan, who is currently on international duty in the Copa America, has agreed a four-year deal with the Primera Liga club.

A statement on the Atletico website read: 'Atletico Madrid, Villarreal and the representative of Diego Forlan have reached an agreement for the transfer of the Uruguayan player to the Rojiblanco club for the next four seasons.'

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has reassured fans he is working on signings 'all the time' as he closes in on Torres.

The Reds boss remained tight-lipped over any deal between the Reds and Atletico Madrid for the striker but sources close to the club insist that only personal terms with the Spanish international now need to be concluded when he returns from holiday next week.

The Anfield club are expected to pay close to the £27million buy-out clause in the player's contract and, while Benitez refused to name names, he did admit he hoped new players would be arriving 'soon'.

Benitez said: 'You must always be excited at the start of a new season. You must also have confidence in your team and hopefully we will soon bring in the new players that we want to make the squad better.

'We are working on new signings all the time. As I've already said, the spine of the team is in place and now we just need to add to that.'

Djibril Cisse appears to have moved closer to a permanent move away from Anfield after his his agent Ranko Stojic revealed the striker wants to join Marseille, where he spent last season on loan.

Stojic admitted West Ham had enquired about the Frenchman's services but insists it is a move to his homeland which appeals most to the forward.

He told the Independent: 'Marseille is definitely the choice for Djibril. I think the deal will happen on Friday or Saturday.

'I have been very busy this week - I caught six planes in two days - and I am sorry for the people I have not had the chance to call back - Mr Eggert Magnusson of West Ham for example.'
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Penestae: Sometimes accompanied their masters to battle, and fought on horse-back, as their knights or vassals,they could possess goods, but were tied to the land.
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The football transfer market bears this strange resemblance to slave trade, i've always thought.
'I buy your guy. Heaps Sesterii. I throw in couple of guys- free'
( i stole a couple of lines from obelix and co. makes it sound more like the slave traders, me thinks.)
So here we go. Villareal have bought forlan, which means that athletico is going to have excess slaves, sorry players, and can afford to let torres go.. for us to buy him.
It makes me happy. Very happy. I just hope he isnt going to flop like forlan did when he came to england. Or even a morientes, who i liked considerably before he arrived at anfield.
I like torres. He plays for spain, and i like spain, hence i like torres.
But he's a good (great) player.. and it seems like he'd fit in well. We need a striker, more specifically a 20+ goals per season man, and thats him. He has creativity, skill and is a darn good finisher And he's only 23. He has potential and talent- thats a good buy right there. 
He reminds me of gerrard sometimes.. he seems hard working and equally devoted.
I'm a fan already.
As for cisse, It was terrible that half the time he spent in liverpool was recovering from injuries, and i'd say it's better for him to leave.. and for us too. I dont like it everytime a person of the 2005 squad leaves because the team becomes less and less like the one that won.
*a moment, while we think back..sigh* 
I don't like it at all that dudek's leaving.. i liked him in liverpool last year too, even though he was on the bench and reina was in goal. I wish sometimes players could be
bound to the club like slaves to the land. I wish gerrard and carragher could be bound to liverpool 
forever, so we never have to go through the bitterness, pain and distress of them leaving.