LONDON: Atletico Madrid are close to sealing a deal for Spain forward Fernando Torres to return to his boyhood club, assistant coach German Burgos said on Saturday.

Later in the day, Torres’ parent club Chelsea announced that the player’s loan switch to AC Milan would become permanent next month but Spanish media reports said that was simply a formality ahead of another loan move to Atletico being finalised on Sunday.

Italy winger Alessio Cerci will switch from the Spanish capital to Milan as part of the deal, which will run until the end of the 2015-16 season, according to the reports.

Torres, 30, joined Milan on a two-year loan in August but has yet to rediscover his form and has only managed one goal in 10 Serie A appearances.

“It is on the verge of completion and we are waiting for things to firm up,” said Burgos of the agreement for the striker to rejoin Atletico.

“He will be a very important reinforcement for the second half of the season,” Diego Simeone’s number two told Spanish media. “We will get the best out of him...and he knows where he is coming to.”

Cerci said on his Facebook page that he had not yet signed for another team.

“I am an Atletico Madrid player and together with the club I am considering the best solution for both,” he added. “I think that is right and normal.”

A World Cup and double European Championship winner with Spain, Torres joined Atletico at the age of 11.

Known as ‘El Nino’ (The Kid), he made his first-team debut as a 17-year-old in 2001 when Madrid’s second club were in the econd division.

When he left for Liverpool in July 2007 he pledged to return and is no doubt hoping a second stint at Atletico will help resurrect a career that has largely been a disappointment since he joined Chelsea in January 2011.

However, he did help Chelsea win the Champions League and the Europa League before being replaced by Diego Costa for this campaign. Chelsea did not disclose a transfer fee.

The deal does not rule out a return to Atletico in the upcoming transfer window, though.

The Spanish champions have indicated they do not have the funds for a permanent deal themselves, but may yet sign him on another loan deal from Milan once he has left Chelsea.

“The striker moved to the San Siro on a two-year loan deal in August and on Jan. 5 he will complete a permanent transfer to the Serie A side,” the Stamford Bridge club said in a statement on Saturday.

“Chelsea Football Club thanks Fernando for his service during the past four seasons and wishes him the very best for the future.”

A return home could be what Torres needs to reignite a once sparkling career.

The World Cup winner and double European champion scored 46 goals in 172 Chelsea appearances, but only 20 of those came in 110 league outings — a poor return when compared with the 65 Premier League goals he scored in 102 appearances for Liverpool.

Torres moved to Stamford Bridge late on January transfer deadline day in 2011 for a then record British fee of 50 million pounds (64m euros, $78m).

Initial struggles appeared to be a crisis of confidence, as he managed just one goal in 18 appearances before the end of the season.

The following season he scored 11 goals, including a hat-trick against QPR and a vital breakaway goal against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final, but still looked a shadow of his former self.

His best season in a Chelsea shirt came in the following campaign as he scored 22 goals across seven competitions, including the winner in the Europa League final against Benfica.

He managed only 11 goals the following season, after which Jose Mourinho broke up his misfiring striking trio of Torres, Samuel Eto’o and Demba Ba, all of whom left the club.

Atletico’s next match is a La Liga game at home to Levante on Jan. 3 before they host Real Madrid in the first leg of a King’s Cup last 16 tie on Jan. 7.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2014