J. League apologises for jumping the gun on Torres transfer story

Dom Farrell

J. League apologises for jumping the gun on Torres transfer story image

Andres Iniesta might be set to grace the J.League but former Spain team-mate Fernando Torres will not be joining him – just yet.

Following Barcelona great Iniesta completing his surprise switch to Vissel Kobe last week, Torres has been linked with a move to Sagan Tosu in Japan's top flight.

On Wednesday, the J. League published a story on its official website announcing the 34-year-old striker had signed for struggling Sagan – the club lie second bottom in the table after 15 matches this season – only to swiftly take the article down and publish an apology.

"Today on the official website of the J.League, a page containing incorrect information regarding a player joining Sagan Tosu was made viewable," a statement read.

"Our sincere apologies go to the Sagan Tosu club, everybody involved with the club, fans and supporters for any inconvenience this may have caused.

"We are currently investigating what caused this error and we will do our very best to prevent this from happening again."

Torres bade an emotional farewell to Atletico Madrid on the final day of La Liga this season, scoring his 128th and 129th goals for his boyhood club in a 2-2 draw against Eibar.

That outing came a few days after the World Cup winner secured a first major honour with the Rojiblancos as they saw off Marseille 3-0 in the Europa League final.

Dom Farrell

Dom Farrell Photo

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.