Jose
Mourinho says Fernando Torres is part of his plans at Chelsea and that the
striker has not told him he wants to leave.
Torres has been linked with several clubs over the summer, with AC Milan the
latest to show an interest in the striker as a potential replacement for
Mario Balotelli after his move to Liverpool.
But Mourinho says he will need the 30-year-old to play a part in the Blues’
bid for trophies this season and would be reluctant to sell him so late in
the summer transfer window.
"What we have clear is that we need three strikers to face the season,” said
Mourinho. “He is one of them.
"I like him as a person. I like him as a player. If he wants to leave it is
something he didn't say to me. At the moment he is our player, nothing more
than that.
"If he wants to leave I believe it is because he wants to try a new life, a
new club, a new league. If he wants to leave I believe it is to try and be
happier than he was in the last couple of years.
“This is a very human club in the way it tries to approach these situations.
If he comes to us then any possibility will be analysed.”
The current transfer window is due to close on September 1, which would
limit the amount of time available to Mourinho to source and sign a
replacement if he did allow Torres to leave.
The Chelsea boss is happy with the squad he has in place and is making no
plans to make any adjustments to it.
“If that happens in the last hour of the market then we are in trouble
because at the moment we are doing nothing,” he said. “We believe that the
market is closed for us and we like our squad. It is not the perfect one
because not a single squad is.
“But at this moment we are ready for the market to close and for us to start
on September 1 with the squad we have at this time.”
Torres could be in the frame to play at Everton on Saturday with Diego Costa
a major injury doubt for the trip to Goodison Park.
“In this moment I can’t say much,” said Mourinho. “We are trying everything
for him to play tomorrow. He didn’t train for the last two days, but today
is the last day and we must make a decision to select him or not.
“He has to try a light training session to see if the reaction is positive.
If it is we take him to Everton to play or be on the bench; if the reaction
is not positive today then obviously we don’t select him.
“What matters now is the match tomorrow and not the match in three weeks’
time. For tomorrow he is a big doubt. Let’s see."
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