Fernando Torres tells Manchester City: There's no way I'm leaving Liverpool
FERNANDO TORRES has told Manchester City that no amount of money could persuade him to move from Anfield to Eastlands.
Reports in Spain yesterday claimed the Liverpool striker was the subject of an offer from City that would have at least doubled his salary.
Sulaiman Al-Fahim, the public face of the Abu Dhabi United Group that assumed control at City last month, is said to have approached Torres's representatives, the management company Bahia, a fortnight ago.
But it is understood Bahia returned a message from the player himself that he has no interest in joining City, no matter what the financial incentive.
It's not the first time the Spaniard has been courted by the Eastlands outfit since they were taken over by the Middle East investment group.
Torres, who is contracted at Anfield until 2013, was rumoured to be the subject of a possible £50million bid from City on transfer deadline day last month, although no offer was subsequently lodged.
And the billionaire investors have still yet to make any official contact with Liverpool over Torres's availability.
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez had stated before last weekend's visit to Eastlands that the striker was not for sale, with Torres going on to score twice in a 3-2 away win.
Meanwhile, Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri has revealed he pulled out of a move for Xabi Alonso this summer because the Spaniard's prospective new midfield team-mates would not have been good enough.
The Italians held talks with Liverpool over a £16m move for Alonso before deciding to sign Sevilla's Christian Poulsen instead.
Alonso has since rediscovered the form of his earlier Anfield career to play an integral part in Liverpool's unbeaten start to the season.
And Ranieri admits Juventus do not possess players with the quality and work-rate of the likes of Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano and Dirk Kuyt to allow Alonso to blossom.
"He was a player we wanted," said Ranieri. "But he is a player, who even though he is an extraordinary man and a great professional, left me perplexed by the slowness of his movement in midfield.
"In the midfield of Rafa Benitez's Liverpool, where all of them are little soldiers, he finds himself in a fantastic position.
"But in our midfield, he would have found it hard to support the midfield line seeing as (Juve wingers) Mauro Camoranesi and Pavel Nedved are not players that come back to give support like Liverpool's wingers."
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