Torres makes Premiership suitors wait

The prospects of Fernando Torres leaving Spain for the Premiership depends on whether his club qualifies for the Champions' League, his agent said yesterday.

Jose Antonio Martin said Atletico Madrid's improving form and the imminent sale of their stadium, which he claimed would make them one of Europe's wealthiest clubs, had reduced the chances of the Spanish international, who is 22 this week, leaving.

Martin said: "Torres has no intention of speaking to other clubs at the moment. We are very calm about it. The Champions' League is a big factor."

He said that there had been "no contact at all" with other clubs, but added that how Spain and Torres fare at the World Cup may also influence where he plays his football next season.

Atletico's form has improved in the last few weeks and they are eight points off fourth place. It had appeared earlier in the season that despite Torres' strong ties to the club, and being captain, that he would leave.

He has made it clear that he would rather leave Spain than join another La Liga club, which could alert Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle.

Torres has a contract until 2008 with a buy-out clause of €90m (£62m) although no club is likely to pay that price. Bidding would, nevertheless, have to be in excess of £20m.

Chelsea, in particular, are attempting to bolster their forward options. Their main targets remain Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o and Milan's Andrei Shevchenko, but the chances of prising either away remain remote.

Other possible targets are the Juventus striker Zlatan Ibrahimovicand Argentinian Carlos Tevez, who plays for Corinthians.