Pepe Reina has hinted that he might follow Fernando Torres's lead and seek a future at one of Liverpool's Premier League rivals. The Liverpool goalkeeper insisted that he does not foresee a return to Spain but refused to rule out a move and admitted that he wants to compete for football's top honours. He also underlined the importance of playing in the Champions League. Reina's justification of Torres's departure sounded very much like an example applicable to himself.

Meanwhile Torres, who admitted that he is yet to meet Roman Abramovich, has expressed his hope that in the future the Liverpool fans' anger will subside, insisting that he has "nothing but gratitude" and "good memories" for the three and a half years he spent on Merseyside. He explained his departure by saying that he felt darkness had descended on Anfield and that Chelsea "opened the door" on a new dawn, leaving him with no other choice. Liverpool, he said, had become the "complete opposite" of the club he first joined in 2007.

"I think it's hard for me to come back to Spain to play. I think my place is in England – and right now that is with Liverpool," Reina said on the Spanish radio station, Onda Cero. "It's hard to see me returning to Spain. Barcelona and Madrid are the two teams you would aspire to in Spain and that's impossible. [At United,] Edwin van der Sar is hanging up his gloves and people say that Arsenal are looking. I can't do or say anything; I renewed my contract with Liverpool last year. But what a player wants, logically, is to challenge for titles."

Although he was reminded that he has won an FA Cup with Liverpool, the Spaniard's response was pessimistic. "Yes," he said, "but that was a long time ago. We used to fight to be among the top teams and to be in the Champions League but sadly in the last two years that has not been the case. Obviously, I want to play in the Champions League and I want to aspire to win titles.

"I would like to think that the departure of players does not mean that we are slipping. I think Liverpool will always be a big club but we have to be realistic and the reality is that right now we are not at the level of Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea or Arsenal. That's the truth."

That realisation means that there was no criticism from Reina for Torres's decision to leave Liverpool; instead, there was understanding. "Torres believed that Chelsea offered him a better chance to be successful," Reina said. "They offered him a better chance to fight for the Champions League – or at least to make sure that he plays in it. They have a better chance of building a title-winning team. And right now, unfortunately, we can't offer that at Liverpool. I would ask the fans to remember the three wonderful years of football he gave us and the number of goals he scored. Also, he cost £22m or £23m and he has left us for £50m."

Meanwhile Torres explained that he felt like he had little choice but to depart after a difficult last 12 months both for club and country. He insisted that Chelsea could satisfy his ambition in a way that Liverpool could not after two years of decline.

"This was an important season for me – to forget about injuries and a World Cup that was not great on a personal level," Torres said. "I had real hope. The club seemed to be on the verge of a sale and I was optimistic but then came a moment when everything went dark. At that moment you see that there is no light at the end of the tunnel. You can see that there are six hard months ahead of you of rowing against the current. And then suddenly at that moment an incredible door opens up before you.

"These have not been my best six months at Liverpool and for a club like Chelsea to come in with a real bid and a big one, it gives you the chance to fight for what you have always wanted to fight for. At that moment, there are not two options, there is only one," Torres added. "Two years ago we were very close to winning the league; we were practically touching heaven. We were second in the league, quarter-final, semi-final in the Champions League and then two years later is the complete opposite.

"As for the Liverpool fans, I can't ask for anything from them except that they understand me. I am a football fan too. What fans should do is value what you have done for them. Right now, I know it's hard and with time they will feel differently. I hope so anyway. All I have got is good memories and good things to say about Liverpool. I am very grateful to Liverpool, to the city, to the fans."