Arsenal
Bilbao Rule Out Llorente Sale
Athletic Bilbao manager Marcelo Bielsa has insisted the club will not cash-in and sell Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham target Fernando Llorente in January.
Despite the transfer window being closed, there is always transfer gossip doing the rounds in the papers and we’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest news during the coming months. Today, Athletic Bilbao rule out selling Fernando Llorente.
Athletic Bilbao manager Marcelo Bielsa has insisted the club will not cash-in and sell Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham target Fernando Llorente in January, according to talkSPORT.
The 27-year-old striker is out of contract in the summer and recently confirmed he will not be signing a new deal, despite Bilbao’s attempts to keep him at the club. Llorente was quoted in the Telegraph as saying:
“I am going to leave on June 30. I want to develop as a player and try something new.”
“It isn’t about money because the offer the club made was irresistible,”
The revelation has sparked interest throughout Europe with Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham all strongly interested in the Spanish hitman.
The Premier League trio are all in the market for a striker this January and reports suggested they could try and persuade Bilbao to cash in next month as it will be the last time they will be able to command a fee for the striker.
However, Bielsa has insisted the clubs position hasn’t changed despite Llorente’s decision to quit and they won’t be selling in January.
“The situation is what it is. Llorente leaving in January is something the club have rejected,” he said.
“There is already a fixed position, and his presence gives us something extra.
“What happened was nothing different to what was discussed. We have all given our opinions. It would be worth analysing if the situation were not the same as it is now, but there is nothing different.
“I have given my opinion, everyone has, it won’t add anything new.”
Bielsa is quoted as saying by talkSPORT
Read more Arsenal transfer news | Liverpool transfer news | Spurs transfer news
So it seems clubs will have to wait until the summer to land Llorente but the player will be able to sign a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs next month ahead of a free transfer move in the summer.
Will Arsenal, Liverpool or Tottenham convince the striker to join them? Would you want him at your club? Get involved in the comments section.
