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Fernando Torres is looking for a new club and MLS is reportedly high on his list of destinations. Jeff Carlisle reported on Monday that Torres has been in talks with the Chicago Fire. By Tuesday it sounded like those talks might be starting to break down. In his initial report Carlisle mentioned that the Montreal Impact, Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City are next in line on the list of teams that could talk with Torres.
Part of his report mentioned that the striker would like to go somewhere with a warmer climate which of the teams mention Houston certainly fits that bill. Due to the Discovery Process, the Chicago Fire and the Montreal Impact have a shot with Torres before the Dynamo can even talk to him.
Lester Gretsch confirmed with his sources that the Dynamo would be interested in Torres if he is interested in them.
Sources at @HoustonDynamo confirm the team is interested in pursuing Fernando Torres “if the opportunity exists and if Houston were of interest to him.” Currently, as reported by @JeffreyCarlisle, @ChicagoFire and @impactmontreal are ahead of Houston in the allocation order.
— Lester Gretsch (@elgretsch) May 7, 2018
MLS isn’t the only league that is reported to be talking with Torres. In addition to the MLS rumors have also circulated that his destination may be in Japan or China.
Likely the biggest hurdle for the Dynamo will come down to money. What the Dynamo are willing to spend and how much Torres wants. Historically, the Dynamo have not been a team known for its spending.
Kaka was the highest paid player in the league in 2017 with a base salary of $6,660,000. The highest paid player on the Dynamo roster last year was Erik Cubo Torres who was making a base salary of $650,000.
The 34-year-old has had an up and down career playing for Liverpool, Chelsea, AC Milan, and his current club Atletico Madrid. He has scored over 200 goals in his career. The striker has played in 25 games for Atletico this season and started in three games. He also as three goals this season. Torres has played for his national team, Spain, 110 times and scored 38 goals. He was also part of the team that won the 2010 World Cup.
Would you want to see Fernando Torres sign with Houston?
— Dynamo Theory (@dynamotheory) May 7, 2018
Fans, for the most part, would love to see him come to town. In the past, big names have been little more than a pipe dream for Dynamo fans. The team has struggled to land successful designated players or big name players. When the team has managed to land players with names attached it has almost always resulted in a nightmare.
MLS has long been called a retirement league where stars come to play their last few seasons. Players like Steven Gerrard and Andrea Pirlo came to the league at the tail end of their careers and made little impact on the field. However, the moniker of a retirement as started to lose hold as players like Bastian Schweinstegier and Zlatan Ibrahmovic have made an impact upon joining the league. It remains to be seen if Torres will be a Gerrard or a Schweinstegier.