Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted he had shown interest in Liverpool's new signing Fernando Torres.

The Spanish star penned a six-year deal at Liverpool earlier this summer after joining from Atletico Madrid for a fee thought to be in the region of £20million.

And Ferguson claims that while he wasn't in the running to net the 23-year-old this time around, his club had come close to signing him in previous years.

He told Inside United magazine: "The Fernando Torres transfer was interesting. He's a player we have enquired about a couple of times over the years but when it came to the crunch he would sign a new contract or other things would happen and a deal never materialised.

"We didn't pursue our interest this summer and if he's gone for £20million or so then that is a fair price for him - but he was on huge money in Madrid. I think also the fact that Rafael Benitez is Spanish may have helped Liverpool conclude the deal."