OPINION
The door is ajar for Leeds United to sign Tottenham striker Fernando Llorente next month after he revealed he is open to a mid-season move.
Leeds must barge it open and convince the former Spain international to drop down to the Championship and spearhead their assault on automatic promotion.
One thing massively in the favour of United is that Marcelo Bielsa managed Llorente with great success when he was in charge at Athletic Bilbao.
The Sun reported last month that the Yorkshire giants are plotting a move to land Llorente in the forthcoming transfer window and their Argentine manager is keen on a reunion with the giant striker.
It appears the Spaniard is keen on severing his ties with Tottenham. He was a late substitute in Tuesday’s Champions League draw at Barcelona but has made just 11 starts in 18 months at the club and is only a bit-part player.
Asked about the possibility of re-signing for Athletic, Llorente told El Larguero, as quoted by publication Mundo Deportivo: “If I have the opportunity and they come to talk to me, probably, yes, is the truth.”
“Come back now or in summer? I do not know. It does not depend on me. To go out in the winter market they would have to talk to [Daniel] Levy and I cannot do anything.”
Spurs chairman Levy is unlikely to stand in Llorente’s way if a club offer a multi-million pound fee for the 33-year-old, who can leave for nothing in the summer.
He may be surplus to requirements at Tottenham, where Harry Kane, Son Heung-Min and Lucas Moura are blocking his path to the central spearhead role, but Llorente would be a brilliant signing for Leeds.
A brilliant finisher with an excellent scoring record, the Spaniard’s height (Transfermarkt state he is 6ft 3in), muscle and ability to bring others into play would add a new dimension to an attack featuring more nimble technicians like Kemar Roofe and Patrick Bamford.