Fernando Torres has rubbished talk of a Chelsea exit this summer.
The return of Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge has kicked off speculation that the big money forward may be set for a Chelsea exit – with the Spanish press linking him with a move back to his home country.
But speaking in Brazil, where the £50m man is presently with his national side in the Confederations Cup, Torres slated the speculation as nothing more than paper talk.
He told Spanish radio station Onda Cero: “In life it is normal: every summer is the time of the rumours, new coaches and players.
“(Chelsea) is the club where I am and where I want to be. I want to win titles here.
“Mourinho is a very demanding coach, but that is the way to guarantee success as it always has.
“I have the confidence that he has something ready for me.”
Mourinho, for his part, has made it clear that he has every intention of making things work with Torres – and that he wants to get better from the under-performing striker.
Last week he said: “Fernando is more than happy to stay and work hard. If the best for all of us is for Fernando to stay, let's help him and try and get the best out of him.”
Certainly any move out of Chelsea for Torres would constitute a major shock: the 29-year-old has three seasons yet to run on his five-and-a-half-year contract, and is unlikely to find another club willing to meet his present salary – understood to be in the region of £200k per week.
Chelsea placed him centre-stage in their recent new season kit launch – usually a sign that a player is going nowhere.
Mourinho has already suggested Torres may face greater competition next season: heavily hinting at a return to Stamford Bridge for on-loan Belgian goalscorer Romelu Lukaku.
