Torres pledges loyalty to Liverpool - Sport in brief - Evening Standard
       

Torres pledges loyalty to Liverpool

Fernando Torres has brushed off transfer speculation by insisting he will stay at Liverpool for as long as he is wanted.

The striker has been linked with a return to Spain and even a switch to the Reds' bitter rivals Manchester United but Torres signed a new contract last month and is confident he can satisfy his ambitions on Merseyside.

He told the Daily Mail: "There is a lot of belief at the club and a lot of trust in the manager. I sincerely believe I will win the Premier League and the European Cup here. The winning tradition is very clear at Liverpool. I want to be involved in a little piece of their history."

He added: "Winning the European Championship with Spain gave me a taste of what winning at the top level was like and once you've had a taste of success it becomes an addiction.

"A lot of players committed themselves to Liverpool this summer with new contracts and players don't do that unless they think they can have their ambitions met."

He continued: "I'm very happy with my contract at Liverpool and wouldn't leave just to earn a little more somewhere else where I wouldn't be that happy. To want any more would be greedy and that is not me. As long as Liverpool want me, I will stay."

The 25-year-old has been linked with United following their acceptance of Real Madrid's £80million bid for Cristiano Ronaldo.

Torres will be sad to see the Portuguese leave the Barclays Premier League but insists Liverpool will not win the title by default.

"He has been one of the best players in the world for the last three years and it will be a big loss for the league but, with the amount of investment in the Premier League, I expect world-class players to arrive this summer as well," he said.

"Madrid obviously are spending lots of money and I'm sure that (United boss) Sir Alex Ferguson will be looking for a big name to replace Ronaldo, but I'm very excited about what the boss is doing here at Liverpool."

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