Liverpool expect to complete the signing of Fernando Torres from Atlético Madrid within days, but even that £20 million-plus record deal may not be the most striking of the summer at Anfield if Rafael BenÍtez succeeds with an improbable bid to prise Gabriel Heinze from Manchester United.

No established player has moved directly between the North West rivals since Phil Chisnall joined Liverpool in 1964, but the manager intends to change that, having identified Heinze, who is out of favour at Old Trafford, as a leading contender to reinforce his defence.

The Argentinian, who is playing for his country in the Copa America, was thought to be close to moving to a club in Spain, but Liverpool are understood to have made preliminary inquiries about his availability.

Potential suitors may not be required to negotiate directly with United as the 29-year-old can be bought out of his contract for approximately £6 million under new Fifa regulations. But, while a deal for Heinze remains a long shot, the arrival of Torres, one of Europe’s most coveted forwards, is imminent, with Liverpool understood to have negotiated a fee below Atlético’s asking price.

There were reports in Spain last night that Manchester City – flushed with cash after the takeover by Thaksin Shinawatra – had outbid Liverpool for Torres. Those claims were not confirmed by City, but the 23-year-old is determined to move to Merseyside and hopes to sign as soon as he returns from holiday next week.

The structure of the deal is unclear, but Liverpool, after some haggling, expect to pay less than the £27 million stated in the player’s contract, which in any case only applies to Spanish clubs. If Luis GarcÍa, valued at £4 million, moves in the opposite direction as part of the deal, Liverpool may end up paying Atlético little more than £20 million.

Torres will hope to make more of a lasting impact at Anfield than Djibril Cissé, who at £14.2 million remains Liverpool’s record signing, but the France forward has indirectly helped to smooth the Spaniard’s move to Merseyside, with his £6.1 million switch to Marseilles close to completion last night. Craig Bellamy, the Wales forward, is another who is likely to be sold.

BenÍtez would not comment on Torres beyond saying that “he is one of the players we have looked at”, but, having previously questioned the club’s board – and implicitly the American co-owners, George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks – over a lack of urgency in the transfer market, his mood was improved.

Liverpool are also hopeful of signing a winger shortly, but it is unlikely to be Florent Malouda, of Lyons, who disappointed BenÍtez by suggesting that he would be equally happy to join Arsenal or Chelsea.