Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres has revealed that he will bring an end to his second stint at the club once his contract expires in the summer.
The 34-year-old returned to the Spanish capital in 2015 following spells with Liverpool, Chelsea and AC Milan.
Torres has not had the same impact the second time around, though, having scored seven goals in 34 appearances this season and a combined 19 in 61 outings in the two previous La Liga campaigns.
Following recent reports in the Spanish press that Atleti intend to offload the club great at the end of 2017-18, the player has moved to announced his plans to continue his career elsewhere.
"I'd like to take this opportunity to confirm that this is my last season at the club," he said in a statement. "I felt I should let the fans know, as they have given me so much love and affection. Both the club and I knew that this moment was going to come.
"I think it is the best moment, accepting the reality that I am in, you see the prominence that I have in the team and maybe it is time to make way for others. For me it is very difficult to say goodbye to this club for the second time, because my head and my idea was to hang up my boots here. But things do not always work out the way you want. I feel very well and I want to continue playing.
"I do not know if in two, three or five years I'll look for a different situation. I do not have any team or competition [decided], since we have made the decision not long ago. So now we listen to the proposals and among these proposals we will have to decide.
"My relationship with [Diego] Simeone is normal, it's professional. I've always said that I'm not going to participate in any division with Simeone. There is no problem with the coach, nor with anyone in the club, it's a decision that is exclusively mine."
Antoine Griezmann, Kevin Gameiro and Diego Costa are all ahead of Torres in the pecking order at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Daniel Lewis
