You get the impression that every single football fan celebrates when Fernando Torres scores.

That's maybe not the case if you're a die-hard Real Madrid supporter or were just on the receiving end of the strike, but almost everybody has a soft spot for El Nino. 

Sadly, the Spaniard's career never reached the heights it threatened to when his 2007 move to Liverpool saw a deluge of goals in the Premier League. Turning his back on the Reds in 2010 seemed to slam the brakes on his career at the top.

His £50 million switch to Chelsea turned out to be nothing short of a disaster. Just 20 league goals in 110 appearances during his time in west London marked a jarring decline that nobody wanted to see.

Nevertheless, via a thoroughly unforgettable spell at AC Milan, Torres is back at the club he loves so dearly - Atletico Madrid - and has quietly spent the last three years in the Spanish capital.

Second spell at Atletico coming to an end

Has the 33-year-old rediscovered his goal scoring touch? No. Has he flopped at Atletico? That's a no as well.

That being said, it seems that his honeymoon back with Los Rojiblancos is coming to a close amid steep competition from the likes of Diego Costa, Antoine Griezmann and Kevin Gameiro.

Rumours of an Atletico exit reached fever pitch this month with a return to the Premier League, namely a reunion with Rafael Benitez at Newcastle, even on the cards.

According to L'Equipe, though, Torres' career nearly took a very unexpected twist just hours before Deadline Day with Atletico offering his services to Ligue 1 side Rennes. 

Moving to the eighth best team in France isn't exactly stellar but a solid transfer nonetheless. However, the French side weren't too convinced by the prospect of signing El Nino and instead turned to West Ham.

Fernando Torres vs Diafra Sakho

They believed that Torres' questionable goal return in recent years would not have justified his financial demands and decided to sign Diafra Sakho instead. That's right, Diafra Sakho.

Torres can't hold his head too high when his comes to lethality in front of goal recently but neither can Sakho, who has just eight Premier League goals to his name since 2014.

Rennes confirmed the deal for Sakho on Tuesday and although they will have saved them money in the process, it's a massive kick in the teeth for Torres.

Besides, their new Senegalese forward won't attract a tenth of the shirts sales or interest that Torres would have commanded. 

It is believed that El Nino will now see out the remainder of the season in Spain until he can secure a move in the summer. With just three La Liga starts in five months, though, it could be quite the slog to May.

Do you think Fernando Torres would still cut it in the Premier League? Have your say in the comments section below.