Swansea City are reportedly eyeing a bid for Spanish International Fernando Llorente. The Welsh club have been on the lookout for a striker throughout the summer and have drawn up a short-list they want to pursue. After letting Bafetimbi Gomis leave on loan to Marseille, the chase for a replacement has gone up a notch.
Players such as Wilfried Bony, who is understood to be surplus to requirement at Manchester City and Leonardo Ulloa are also apparently on the shortlist. Swansea are looking to bring balance to the side by bringing in a few quality additions this window while at the same time making sure their top talents like Sigurdsson and Andre Ayew stay put at the club. Ayew especially has been linked with a host of big clubs and losing the player will be a big blow to Swansea’s ambitions this season.
While the Swans are known to play attractive attacking football they have somewhat stagnated in the past couple of seasons and Francesco Guidolin will look to address that issue and make sure the club is moving in a particular direction, hopefully in a better way. Chairman Huw Jenkins iterated that the club are looking at bringing in at least two strikers before the window shuts while their coach Alan Curtis admitted the former Athletic Bilbao star is on their radar.
“Llorente is one of the players who has been mentioned,”.
“It’s probably time we brought a big signing in.”
“He is on a list where you could name at least half a dozen strikers”.
Fans will be hoping the club is able to pull off this particular coup as they have failed to properly replace Wilfried Bony after his big-money move to the Etihad Stadium.
Llorente started his career with Athletic Bilbao, working his way through the various youth ranks, and becoming one of the most important offensive players for the club in the following decade, since making his first team debut in 2005. He scored 29 goals for the club in all competitions in the 2011–12 season, and was described as a “Bilbao legend”. In 2013 he signed with Juventus, winning the Serie A twice during his two-year spell.
Llorente will bring undoubted pedigree to the side with his proven track record and experience of playing at the highest level. His aerial prowess will be an added bonus to the Welsh side who possess excellent traditional wingers who are capable of putting in the crosses for the tall and well-built striker to take advantage of. Sevilla want in the region of £6million for the 31-year-old, who was part of the Spain squads that won the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 European Championship.
Swansea are expected to cough up the amount as they are left without a recognized striker in the side just weeks before the commencement of the season. And the opportunity to play in the Premier League will appeal to the player as well and a deal is imminent between the two parties.
