New York Cosmos reportedly interested in Fernando Torres

The New York Cosmos are typically associated with bigger names preparing to leave Europe, and on Sunday, Spanish paper Marca linked another World Cup winner to the North American Soccer League champions. Fernando Torres is out of contract at the end of the 2015/16 La Liga season, and according to the paper, is someone the Cosmos have been in contact with.

The report attributes the following quote (via Google Translate) to Gio Savarese, who didn't deny the club's interest, but certainly didn't indicate that anything was close:

"I would say we are always looking players with good qualities, which contribute much to our team and are interesting for this market. As for Torres, he is a player of Atletico Madrid and that's it."

Torres is in the final 6 months of his contract, which means he is now free to negotiate a new deal with other clubs. At his peak, the Spaniard was one of the best strikers in Europe, though it's been nearly six full seasons since he showed any sort of world class ability in Europe.

That said, there are very few names in the sport as recognizable as his, despite the fact that his days at the top level of the sport are almost certainly behind him. He's trained at top clubs with top management, and would likely be an asset for clubs (or franchises) in China, the UAE, and the United States, both in terms of name recognition, and what he'd add to the squad.

As a Chelsea fan, Torres has given me a good number of migraines over the years, though he'd almost certainly excel against NASL competition. That said, the former Spanish international has never done anything to indicate that he'd turn down a bigger offer for the chance to find a better situation, and I doubt any American club (or franchise) could outbid the Chinese Super League. I suppose we'll keep an eye on this one, but I'm pretty doubtful that it ever happens.