Llorente Admits Premier League Desire

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, Fernando Llorente admits he may move to the Premier League.

Arsenal and Tottenham have been alerted to the news that Fernando Llorente has admitted he would like to move to the Premier League when he leaves Athletic Bilbao, according to the Independent.

Llorente is in the final year of his contract at Bilbao and has been outcast from the first team after refusing to sign a new deal. The report claims the north London duo have been closely tracking the 27-year-old striker and while he could be snapped up for a cut-price fee in January, it’s understood they will be made to wait until the summer when he can leave on a free transfer.

The Spain striker will be able to discuss terms with foreign clubs next month and he has admitted that a move to the Premier League is appealing:

“We’re approaching the date when I can sign for other clubs,”

“I really like the Premier League and I’ve said on more than one occasion it’s a League that appeals to me.

“You never know. It’s one good option in terms of my future but we’ll have to wait until the end of the season to see what happens. I’m trying to keep it in the hands of my brother and my representatives so I can focus on football.”

Llorente is quoted as saying by the Independent

According to the Independent, it’s not only Arsenal and Tottenham who’re interested in Llorente with Italian champions Juventus also said to be keen. However, the player has dismissed reports that he’s already agreed a deal to join the Serie A giants:

“It’s totally untrue that I have agreed to join Juventus,”

“It’s normal that people talk about these things but ultimately you have to respect the rules. I’m an Athletic player and until January 1 I cannot sign for any other team.

“I made the decision to leave Athletic at the start of the season and after that I noticed a significant deterioration in my relationship with the fans due to my protracted contract negotiations.

“It was when I became fully aware of how that situation had affected the supporters that I decided to leave. You have to bear the situation for a long time and ultimately, you get tired of living like that.”

Llorente is quoted as saying by the Independent

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Llorente would be an excellent signing for either Arsenal or Spurs should they manager to lure him to north London. He has a decent strike rate for Bilbao of 115 goals in 310 appearances for the club, but his game is more than just about goals. At 6ft 5 inches, he can play the more traditional target man role but is also good with the ball at his feet.

I’d love to see how he fared in the Premier League and hopefully we’ll see him move to these shores in the summer. Will it be to Arsenal or Tottenahm? We’ll have to wait and see what the next few months bring before that question can be answered.

Would you like to see Llorente at your club? Get involved in the comments section below.