Fernando Torres says no amount of spending by Manchester United and Chelsea during the summer will stop Liverpool's relentless quest for the Premier League title.
Before Spain met host nation South Africa in their final group game of the Confederations Cup last night, Torres revealed just how focused he is on breaking United's stranglehold on the title and emulating the great Liverpool forwards of the past.
The club's own finances are under serious scrutiny, with only a month left for joint owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks to find new ways of servicing a £350million debt, and Torres realises Liverpool's spending power may not match that of their rivals.
The evidence of that comes with Chelsea hoping to steal Portsmouth and England right-back Glen Johnson from the grasp of Rafael Benitez, and Xabi Alonso being lured to Real Madrid.
But Torres shrugged off those fears. 'We don't have the same money as United or Chelsea but that is not a problem for us,' he said.
'We will try to win trophies with money or without it, it doesn't matter to us. 'In the past two years, United have been the strongest team in Europe and we had to fight against them. This year they have lost an important player, so maybe it is our time.
'When I was a kid I was always looking up to Atletico Madrid strikers but when I came to Liverpool I saw DVDs of Robbie Fowler and Kenny Dalglish. They are legends of Liverpool. One day I would like to be close to them.'
Keeping the Spanish contingent together at Anfield remains a critical priority, however, especially with United losing Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez. 'If we can play together for a lot of years it would be fantastic,' said Torres.
'It makes us more complete as players. We have to keep all our good players.' His one major disappointment since joining Liverpool for a club record £20m in June 2007 has been lack of silverware.
'When I signed for Liverpool the main thing was to win trophies for them. It has been frustrating for me because for a club like Liverpool to go two years without a trophy is too long. But I think it's coming.'
Having already ruled out any chance of swapping Merseyside for Manchester, Torres had some more bad news both for United and Chelsea - forget buying David Villa. The Valencia striker, says Torres, has already made up his mind to stay in Spain rather than be lured by a big money move to the Premier League.
With his present club heavily in debt, Villa looks certain to move in the next few weeks but Torres says both United and Chelsea are likely to miss out on his services. While he has no doubt Ronaldo will be replaced with quality players at Old Trafford, Villa will not be one of them.
'I think he will play in Spain,' said Torres. 'It's his decision but I think Barcelona and Real Madrid are trying to sign him and he will join one of them. 'I think for his abilities and qualities he is better for the Spanish league - he scores over 25 goals every season. I'd obviously prefer it if he played in Spain if he doesn't come to Liverpool.'
Another concern, says Torres, is the tax system in Britain combined with the weak pound, but he says players like himself should be prepared to compromise and sacrifice their pockets for the experience of competing at the top level every week.
'When you are a top player, you will get a good contract,' he insists. 'You should not be scared to lose a little bit of money.'
Before Spain met host nation South Africa in their final group game of the Confederations Cup last night, Torres revealed just how focused he is on breaking United's stranglehold on the title and emulating the great Liverpool forwards of the past.
The club's own finances are under serious scrutiny, with only a month left for joint owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks to find new ways of servicing a £350million debt, and Torres realises Liverpool's spending power may not match that of their rivals.
The evidence of that comes with Chelsea hoping to steal Portsmouth and England right-back Glen Johnson from the grasp of Rafael Benitez, and Xabi Alonso being lured to Real Madrid.
But Torres shrugged off those fears. 'We don't have the same money as United or Chelsea but that is not a problem for us,' he said.
'We will try to win trophies with money or without it, it doesn't matter to us. 'In the past two years, United have been the strongest team in Europe and we had to fight against them. This year they have lost an important player, so maybe it is our time.
'When I was a kid I was always looking up to Atletico Madrid strikers but when I came to Liverpool I saw DVDs of Robbie Fowler and Kenny Dalglish. They are legends of Liverpool. One day I would like to be close to them.'
Keeping the Spanish contingent together at Anfield remains a critical priority, however, especially with United losing Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez. 'If we can play together for a lot of years it would be fantastic,' said Torres.
'It makes us more complete as players. We have to keep all our good players.' His one major disappointment since joining Liverpool for a club record £20m in June 2007 has been lack of silverware.
'When I signed for Liverpool the main thing was to win trophies for them. It has been frustrating for me because for a club like Liverpool to go two years without a trophy is too long. But I think it's coming.'
Having already ruled out any chance of swapping Merseyside for Manchester, Torres had some more bad news both for United and Chelsea - forget buying David Villa. The Valencia striker, says Torres, has already made up his mind to stay in Spain rather than be lured by a big money move to the Premier League.
With his present club heavily in debt, Villa looks certain to move in the next few weeks but Torres says both United and Chelsea are likely to miss out on his services. While he has no doubt Ronaldo will be replaced with quality players at Old Trafford, Villa will not be one of them.
'I think he will play in Spain,' said Torres. 'It's his decision but I think Barcelona and Real Madrid are trying to sign him and he will join one of them. 'I think for his abilities and qualities he is better for the Spanish league - he scores over 25 goals every season. I'd obviously prefer it if he played in Spain if he doesn't come to Liverpool.'
Another concern, says Torres, is the tax system in Britain combined with the weak pound, but he says players like himself should be prepared to compromise and sacrifice their pockets for the experience of competing at the top level every week.
'When you are a top player, you will get a good contract,' he insists. 'You should not be scared to lose a little bit of money.'
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