Premier League champions, Chelsea mustered one of the high profile as well as ground shattering signings of the summer as they lured Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid on a deal which is believed to be worth an initial £58million and potentially rising to £70million. Under the tutelage of Antonio Conte, the Blues are in the process of building a formidable side which could challenge for more trophies next season.
It has to be mentioned that the London based outfit will not only have domestic obligations to fulfil, owing to the fact that they would be plying their trade in the Champions League once again. The animosity which the Champions League, Premier League and cup competitions will have on offer means that the Pensioners would need to have depth in their arsenal in every department and in order to beef their attack, they have put Swansea City’s prolific striker, Fernando Llorente on their radar.
Llorente was made to sign on the dotted line by the Swans last summer and his introduction to the Liberty Stadium did create a lot of expectations amongst the fans. He didn’t disappoint, as he banged in 15 goals and registered 1 assist in 33 Premier League appearances and proved to be a very useful asset for the Wales based club. While Swansea City have slapped a price tag of £20million on him, Conte’s apparent interest to acquire his services makes perfect sense.
The 32-year-old is a player with truckloads of experience, having played for Basconia, Bilbao Athletic, Athletic Bilbao, Juventus and Sevilla, before making a move to the Premier League. Llorente is a powerful player who uses his size and strength to good effect up front. He is solid in the air, which makes him a huge asset for his employers offensively as well as defensively. Besides, he is intelligent, technically very sound and has acclimatised himself to English football in a pretty satisfying fashion.
The Spanish international is a poacher inside the box and is capable enough to test the goalkeepers with his shots from outside the box and despite not having raw pace in his legs, he makes up for it with his excellent ability of reading the game. The likelihood of Diego Costa leaving Chelsea is increasing with every passing day, with one of the latest reports linking the 28-year-old striker with a move to AC Milan. So, bringing in Llorente would give a huge boost to Chelsea.
