The contract is yet to be signed, but it appears to be only a matter of time before Spanish striker Fernando Torres puts his name on the paper and joins Rafael Benitez's troops on Merseyside.

A mouth-watering prospect for the many Reds fans who have been waiting patiently (what else can they do?) for their first championship since 1990. The deal will be worth an estimated £25-27m, more than doubling that of Liverpool's previous record signing, Djibril Cisse.
 
The deal is significant for a number of reasons. First of all, Torres is a superb striker who has proved himself time and time again at the very highest level. Despite his age, he has been scoring goals for several years in Spain and was one of the most prolific players during last year's World Cup. But more importantly, he will be the first player worthy of the label 'world class' that Liverpool have managed to capture.

Acquisitions like Xavi Alonso, Jose Reina, Dirk Kuyt, Javier Mascherano and Daniel Agger are quality players who in time can join the world's elite. But, in all fairness, they are not names in the same category as Torres, who has previously been chased by the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid. His signature proves that Liverpool's American owners (and their wallets) mean business.

'The deal is significant for a number of reasons. First of all, Torres is a superb striker who has proved himself time and time again at the very highest level'


In fact, there is just one small matter of concern; Liverpool have signed so-called 'missing pieces' before every season since 1990. Some of these purchases have done really well, most recently the likes of Alonso, Agger and Peter Crouch. Some have shown glimpses of talent on an irregular basis (Harry Kewell, Djibril Cisse), while others, like El Hadj Diouf and Bruno Cheyrou, have just been plain awful (Julian Dicks and Paul Stewart simply cannot be categorised). But none has proved to be the decisive player in Liverpool's hunt for glory.


However, there are reasons to believe that Torres will actually make a difference, rather than become the latest Fernando Morientes or Dean Saunders. He has the pace and physical stature that you need in the Premiership and, unlike players like Baros and Cisse, Torres is also an intelligent footballer who manages to bring other players into the game and feed his fellow strikers. In other words, he is just pure class.
 
His price tag means that people will expect goals from day one - or at least that he breaks the barrier sooner than Crouch did.  If he manages to do so, I believe Torres can go on to terrorise defences all over England and in Europe. Maybe, just maybe, Liverpool fans will finally get their reward. If that turns out to be the case, £25m will prove to be a bargain.