Soccer:Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has pledged his future to the club after insisting his "commitment and loyalty is the same as it was on my first day when I signed". The Spain international returned to training yesterday after winning the World Cup in South Africa, but has been the subject of persistent speculation.
However, the 26-year-old has moved to quash suggestions he was ready to move on.
“I am really happy to be back, really happy to stay with all my team-mates,” he said. “My commitment and loyalty to the club and to the fans is the same as it was on my first day when I signed.
“I am looking forward to the challenge ahead.”
In the second half of last season Torres claimed Liverpool needed to sign four or five players in order to meet his ambitions in terms of challenging for honours.
A disappointing seventh-placed finish in the Barclays Premier League, which meant no Champions League football for the forthcoming campaign, intensified rumours he was ready to walk away — with Chelsea and Manchester City poised with British transfer record bids.
However, the former Atletico Madrid star is keen to fire them back into the top four and begin challenging for trophies again.
“This is the best club in the country so the targets and expectations are always high,” he added. “Hopefully we can stay at our level. At Liverpool the aim is to fight for every title.
“It was difficult last season but we are sure we can improve this season.”
Torres has always felt a love for, and loyalty to, Liverpool and has no intention of turning his back on the Merseysiders after one difficult campaign.
“From my first day I got the same welcome as Stevie (Gerrard) or Carra (Jamie Carragher) or players who have been here for a long time,” he told liverpoolfc.tv. “I felt at home from the first day, I feel the fans love me and everyone knows I am really happy here and really happy to play at Anfield.
“I’m looking forward to starting the season and playing with my team-mates and for the fans.”
Torres would undoubtedly prefer the club to begin under new ownership and that could yet happen, according to chairman Martin Broughton, but he insists the board remain in control of any deal.
Chinese businessman Kenny Huang expressed his interest in assuming control of the Reds on Monday, with suggestions he would seek to acquire the club's €287 million debt from principal lender the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).
However, Broughton, who was brought into the club in April to facilitate a sale, revealed there had been "several" bids for the Reds and insisted the decision over the sale will be made by the Liverpool board.
"Any bids that go straight to RBS - and there have been several - come to me and are directed to Barcap (Barclays Capital)," he told The Guardian. "RBS are not involved. The control remains with the board."
A takeover appears imminent after the club and a number of interested parties alerted the Premier League to a possible change in ownership.
Under tougher new rules on club ownership announced by the Premier League in response to Portsmouth's financial meltdown, all prospective owners are obliged to give the league 10 days' notice of a takeover and prove they have the funds to sustain the club.
It is understood Liverpool and a number of parties contemplating a takeover - including Chinese businessman Kenny Huang - have already contacted the Premier League to alert them a change of ownership could be imminent.
Under the rules, the Premier League will have to be given 10 days' notice of any takeover, and the prospective owners will be required to have a face-to-face meeting with league chiefs to convince them they have enough money for the season to come.
Other rule changes will see clubs having to provide evidence every quarter that they are up to date with tax payments to Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs - and they will give permission for HMRC to give details on any non-payment directly to the league.
The former 'fit and proper persons test' has been renamed as the 'owners and directors test' and toughened up. Now anyone barred from other sporting organisations or competitions will not be allowed to be a club director.
The strengthening of the regulations is an attempt to reduce the risk of another crisis similar to that suffered by Portsmouth, who went into administration last season and were subsequently relegated.
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said: "We believe we have the measures now in place, the early warning system, that will reduce the risk of having a repeat of the Portsmouth situation.
"The objective of the Premier League is to reduce risk and try to prevent the worst happening but we can't eliminate risk entirely as that would involve us interfering as shadow directors in the running of clubs.
"There was reputational damage with the situation we had with Portsmouth. Clubs get tired of football being called a financial basket case.
"There was an element of gross mismanagement (with Portsmouth) and people have understood it was the exception rather than the rule."