Robbie Fowler has vacated his Liverpool striking role and tipped Fernando Torres to be the perfect replacement.

The veteran striker, who officially left the club when his contract expired last week, is excited about the arrival of the Spain international at Anfield.

Torres has moved a step nearer completing his move from Atletico Madrid, it is believed, by verbally agreeing personal terms while he is away on holiday. He is expected back from Polynesia, possibly even by the weekend, to complete the £26.5 million deal, a Liverpool record.

As he arrives, Liverpool will be allowing Luis Garcia to head to Atletico for a £4m fee, ending a productive spell of 30 goals in 121 games for the Reds. That was a decent return and made him a firm favourite amongst Liverpool fans, who indulged his occasional wastefulness and loved the crucial goals he scored.

Fowler, now looking for a new club, admitted to still being a big Liverpool fan who hopes Torres can step into his scoring boots. "His goals record has been fantastic in Spain," Fowler said. "He has scored plenty of goals for his country as well. I think he will be a great player for Liverpool.

"I am a Liverpool fan and I hope he brings the championship to Liverpool. Since I have been playing, we've never won that and, as I said before, I am a fan, so I want Liverpool to win everything. Signing players of this calibre will only help the club to get in a position where they can challenge for titles."

Liverpool sources have insisted there is no conflict over wages with the 23-year-old Atletico skipper, as had been claimed, and he has verbally accepted around £90,000 a week. That will put him on a par with Jamie Carragher and Xabi Alonso, but short of Steven Gerrard's new £120,000-a-week contract.

Liverpool are so confident that Torres will now complete his signing when he returns from holiday, they have agreed to the Luis Garcia deal. The two moves are not officially linked, but the Reds will now see their agreed fee for Torres cut to £22.5m now Luis Garcia is returning to a club he spent a season with earlier in his career.

Garcia's agent, Manuel Garcia Quillon, said: "We are working on Luis Garcia's permanent transfer to Atletico de Madrid. If all goes well, the deal should be completed either today or tomorrow."