Fernando Torres: Why Chelsea Must Sell Striker in the Summer

Chelsea are apparently ready to listen to offers for Fernando Torres, according to the Daily Express and will look to get whatever they can for the beleaguered striker. Due to his abysmal form since joining the Blues, it is likely that any offers will be significantly less than the £50 million that Roman Abramovich paid to secure his services in 2011.

With Financial Fair Play coming into effect, Chelsea cannot afford to have any dead weight in their wage bill. With the last figures available showing that the Blues spent an eye-watering £191 million on wages in 2010-11 and recording an overall loss of £49 million, they will need to be far less frivolous with their expenditures.

Financial Fair Play requires clubs to at least break even annually and to have any losses covered by their owner. With gate receipts at Stamford Bridge stuck at a capacity of 42,000 with no sign of expansion in the near future, the club needs to cut costs elsewhere to comply with the regulations.

Fernando Torres' wages are rumoured to be around £175,000 a week, according to ESPN. With players such as Eden Hazard, John Terry and Frank Lampard receiving similarly astronomical sums, it makes no sense to continue paying a player whose performances have been consistently below par.

Torres has scored seven Premier League goals and contributed eight assists so far this season. By contrast, Juan Mata has 10 goals and 13 assists in the Premier League whilst receiving a significantly smaller salary than his compatriot.

"El Nino's" struggles show no sign of ending while he remains in West London, and it would be best for both parties if this whole saga were filed under "lessons learned and never to be repeated."