Fernando Torres: Make or Break for the Star and Liverpool

There's always one. The transfer story that camps out on the back pages in various guises for an entire summer and refuses to die. Fernando Torres is our man this year, and with less than two weeks to go until Liverpool host Arsenal in their EPL opener, we still don't know how it ends.

The smart money is on Torres staying at Anfield. New buyers are hovering and the Spaniard has reportedly told friends he will stay for the dawn of Roy Hodgson's reign, providing the club deliver a view for the future that meets his ambition.

If Liverpool are sold as expected, the new owners will likely deliver that ambition in cold, hard currency, and make keeping Torres their number one priority. The sale itself may even depend on whether the striker stays, such is his standing at the club.

Torres is not only a proven goal scorer and favorite among the fans, but also a marketing commodity with huge global reach. The Liverpool shirt bearing his name was the most popular EPL jersey last season, out-selling his team-mate Steven Gerrard's replica and that of Wayne Rooney (who were second and third on the list).

Torres' understanding with Gerrard, and the England midfielder's decision to stay at Anfield, could also prove a determining factor. After a disappointing World Cup from an individual perspective, Torres will be desperate to hit the ground running this season and Gerrard is as likely catalyst for a return to form as any.

Ultimately, the future of Liverpool's most-prized asset may rest on the future of the club itself. These are pivotal days and weeks at Anfield, and Liverpool fans will be on a knife edge.