LIVERPOOL, England -- Chelsea has broken the British transfer record, signing Fernando Torres from Liverpool for a fee reported to be 50 million pounds ($79.5 million). ~
Monday's deal is soccer's third-most expensive transfer, exceeded by Real Madrid's 2009 purchases of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for 80 million pounds ($131 million) and Kaka from AC Milan for 65 million euros ($92 million). It will be a similar figure to that received by Inter Milan when the Italian side team sold Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Barcelona the same year, a deal that sent Samuel Eto'o to Inter.
"Liverpool Football Club tonight confirmed they have agreed a fee with Chelsea for the sale of Fernando Torres," a Liverpool statement said.
Liverpool, purchased last fall by the parent company of the Boston Red Sox, described Torres' move Monday as a "British-record transfer fee" after he signed a 5½-year deal with Chelsea. Manchester City forward Carlos Tevez was recognized as being the previous most expensive signing within British soccer after moving from Manchester United for about 47 million pounds (then $76 million) in 2009.
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