Spain's economic problems have made the country a fertile hunting ground for English clubs looking to steal bright young talent and turn them into stars of their own.
It looks like that could be about to happen with Oliver Torres, one of Atletico Madrid's most promising players, with Manchester United, City, Liverpool and Chelsea all said to be watching the midfielder.
talkSPORT's Transfer Spotlight has more...
Name: Oliver Torres Muñoz
Date of birth: 10 November, 1994
Birthplace: Navalmoral de la Mata, Spain
Position: Central midfielder
Club: Atletico Madrid
International appearances: Member of Spain U19 squad
Honours: UEFA European U19 Championship (2012)
Torres has been a feature of Atletico Madrid's recent first team games, and is said to have caught the eye of Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United as a result.
Manchester City seem intent on beating them to the punch however, after their scout David Fernandez was spotted watching him action, and reports even claim they will offer Atleti €9m for the player this summer.
Did you know?
(1) Torres was a decorated youth player, being voted best player at several junior tournaments in his early years. At the age of 12, he was scouted by both FC Barcelona and Espanyol during a brief spell at a football camp in the Catalan capital, but would ultimately return to his native Extremadura to be close to his family.
(2) In the end the midfielder wouldn't regret his decision, as at the age of 13 he passed a trial to join Atletico Madrid's academy. He quickly impressed onlookers with his skill and speed with the ball, and by the time he turned 17 he caught the eye of first team coach Diego Simeone.
(3) On April 29, 2012, he made an Atletico first team squad for the first time ahead of their game with Real Betis. The youngster would have to wait until July 28 in a friendly against Alianza de Lima for a taste of first team action however, and his official debut followed on August 19, when he came on for striker Adrian against Levante.
(4) The creative midfielder was involved in an unfortunate incident in August 2012 when he posted a picture of himself in the official Real Madrid shop at the Santiago Bernabeu on his Twitter. After Atletico supporters reacted unfavourably upon seeing one of their brightest young players seemingly shopping at the home of their biggest rivals, he took to Twitter to explain that he simply had to make an emergency stop there to buy some boots at the last minute, adding that supporters 'shouldn't doubt that I'm an Atletico fan'.
(5) Unsurprisingly for a player of his promise, Torres has featured prominently at youth level for Spain, making his first steps for La Roja with their U16s. At the age of only 17, he won the UEFA European U19 Championship with Spain, becoming an undisputed started for his nation and playing in the final against Greece. They say"Atletico has a player for the future in him, and hopefully, for the present too. It's normal when we have a bright youngster that it's exciting and people are enthusiastic, but we shouldn't be impatient." Diego Simeone on Torres.
Source: talkSPORT
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