Report: Fernando Torres return to Atlético Madrid agreed

Oh, the weather outside is frightful.  A bit like Fernando Torres's career over the last few years, come to think of it.  One place where the weather isn't so frightful is Madrid and its generally mild winters, and if the latest reports from both Italy and Spain are to be believed, that's exactly where Fernando Torres will be due once he comes back from winter break vacation.

It's been less than a week since the first reports of a potential loan within a loan emerged, linking Torres first with a return to Liverpool and then with a return to Atlético Madrid.  But it looks like this whole loanception won't be stuck in limbo for too long.

Milan has given a special Christmas gift to their fans by completing the Torres-Cerci loan swap deal in record time.

[...]

At the moment the deal is only between the two clubs, they still need to define the details with the players, but these negotiations have already started... [Torres] will earn the same salary he is receiving at Milan, in fact it will be the rossoneri who will keep paying his annual wages (4 million euro plus bonuses).

-source: gianlucadimarzio.com

The other half of the deal seems a bit less further along; I wonder if the whole thing would fall through should, as also rumored, Cerci choose Internazionale instead of AC Milan.

In any case, here's the grand poobah of all things Torres himself confirming the deal.

So all done. Fernando Torres goes back home to rediscover his love for football

— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) December 25, 2014

Balague provides further details via Sky Sports, though he seems to also suggest that amongst the wheeling and dealing, Chelsea might have actually let Torres go for free.  In which case the 18-month loan as claimed by Gianluca Di Marzio and his team would be incorrect.

So there are plenty of doubts and inconsistency surrounding this deal, but one thing seems to be sure:* Fernando Torres is heading back to Atlético Madrid.

* as sure as you can ever be with these things without signatures on papers and official announcements