[Locke Lamora]

Liverpool could be forced to sell Fernando Torres – alerting Milan and Juventus – but the Rossoneri are already targeting Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The Anfield Road in-fighting between owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks is just one of their problems, as ‘The Times’ claims there is a serious financial short-fall.

“Liverpool entered into an 18-month loan agreement with interest of 9 per cent - £2.8 million a year - with a letter of credit to pay back the £31.5 million at the end of the period,” says the newspaper.

”Should Liverpool be unable to pay back or refinance the loan, banks could force the sale of Torres and Ryan Babel, who was also included in the smaller refinancing package.”

If hitman Torres becomes available for around £27.5m, he will be a prime target for both Juventus and Milan, who are on the lookout for a striker.

Rossoneri President Silvio Berlusconi has already stated his club will sign Ronaldinho, Andriy Shevchenko “plus an old-style centre-forward.”

Up until now it was thought to be Chelsea’s Didier Drogba, but new reports around Europe today suggest it is Real Madrid’s van Nistelrooy.

He is relatively cheap compared to Drogba and Real would be happy to release him because they are looking to sign the Ivory Coast international as a replacement.

Milan and Juve are also said to be at loggerheads over another Premier League player, as the San Siro giants assumed they had a deal for out of contract Mathieu Flamini.

They have offered the midfielder a five-year contract worth £3.5m per season, but Juve director of sport Alessio Secco has reportedly flown out to England to table a bid of his own and, while he’s there, seek news on the Liverpool situation.




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