Save for some improbable turn of events, the striker from La Rioja will end up in England. He has three main options: Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham.
Despite the fact that his brother Chus has moved heaven and earth to find him the best offer from European clubs, Fernando Llorente has all but made his mind up about where he wants to go when he leaves Athletic Bilbao: the Premiership.
Save for some improbable turn of events, such as if he decides to renew his contract with Athletic, the striker from La Rioja will end up in England. He has three main options: Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham.
As this newspaper revealed several months ago, City are the keenest to bring him to secure his signature. His brother met with a contact from the Manchester club in a winery in La Rioja the day after Llorente scored the goal against Sporting Lisbon which fired Athletic into the Europa League final.
If City make their move, it will almost certainly mean that Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli will be on their way out of the Etihad stadium, as both players would be directly competing with Llorente for a place in Roberto Mancini’s starting line-up. One factor in City’s favour is the presence of Llorente’s Spain team-mate and friend David Silva, and the club believe he could form a formiddable partnership with Sergio Agüero.
Tottenham have also been insistent in their interest in Llorente, but the forward is not enthusiastic about a move to White Hart Lane. Meanwhile, after Arsene Wenger declared he was not interested in Llorente, Arsenal could re-enter the fold. New signing Olivier Giroud has not performed as well as expected and the club have money to spend in January.
