Chelsea are ready to break the bank to prise Radamel Falcao away from Atletico Madrid. The Daily Star says Chelsea have had representatives at virtually every Atletico Madrid game for the last three months watching Falcao, who is 26 on Friday.

Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas knows the striker well from their time together at Porto.

Falcao - full name Radamel Falcao Garcia Zarate - has a £50m buy-out clause in his contract, although it is understood the Spanish side would sell for less if former Atletico hero Fernando Torres was part of the deal.

Torres has scored just five times in 45 games and hasn't hit the back of the net in more than 18 hours.

A move back to Spain and the club where his career began would give Torres an ideal escape route from his Chelsea nightmare.