Mourinho Sacrifices Torres As Chelsea Manager Reshuffles Squad

Fernando Torres has left the door open for a return to Atletico Madrid and admits he would like to work with former team-mate Diego Simeone again. That gives Chelsea the perfect bargaining tool in their bid to make Atletico striker Diego Costa the Blues’ big summer signing.

Chelsea are also ready to give goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois the chance to return from his Atletico loan at the end of the season and challenge for the No 1 spot, which may lead to a tough decision over the future of Petr Cech.

Chelsea striker Torres turned 30 on Thursday and will still have two years to run on his Stamford Bridge contract at the end of the current campaign.

Manager Jose Mourinho is planning a major reshuffle of his forwards, with Torres likely to be made available and valued at around £20 million.

Costa is currently top of a list of four strikers Chelsea have identified, with the club considering whether to meet the £32m release clause in his Atletico contract.