La Liga hitman to become subject of revived Tottenham bid
It’s looking increasingly likely that Tottenham will make a renewed bid for Atletic Bilbao star, Fernando Llorente, as the club continue to be linked with a host of European striking talent.
It’s common knowledge that Harry Redknapp is looking to improve his attacking options before finishing the season, with Jermain Defoe and on-loan Emmanuel Adebayor his only real forwards to choose from.
The club also have the faltering Roman Pavlyuchenko at their disposal but it’s looking ever more likely that the Russian will be leaving the club in 2012 with a January departure becoming a strong possibility.
Spurs were heavily involved in negotiations for Llorente’s signature over the summer and reportedly held talks with the goalscorer when Bilbao came to White Hart Lane to play in a pre-season friendly.
Although Adebayor has been in fine form this season, if Redknapp is to cement his side as a top four team, they will need to have more variety up front which is something Llorente can certainly provide.
The 6′ 5″ centre-forward has made over 250 appearances for the Basque side during his seven year tenure , scoring just under 100 goals in that time.
Despite his great size, the 26 year old has earned massive plaudits for his footwork capabilities that have earned him a place in Vicente del Bosque’s Spanish side over recent seasons.
In light of compatriot Fernando Torres’ stuttering club form, Llorente is looking for a step up in competition to increase his chances of a Spanish starting berth ahead of Euro 2012.
Daniel Levy and Harry Redknapp have both opened up to the idea of making a big name signature this month, with the latter hinting in December that a ‘major signing’ was likely to happen in January.
Although the Spaniard would cost Spurs a rumoured £24m, Llorente has the potential to be just that major signing and may swap his loyalty to the Basque region for a London move later this month.
