Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signing of Spanish striker Fernando Llorente from Swansea City.
They have pipped London rivals Chelsea to the signing, as Llorente signed a two-year contract on transfer deadline day.
While the transfer fee is officially undisclosed, it is thought to be between £12 million and £15 million, which has enabled Swansea to re-sign Wilfried Bony.
The details
Llorente becomes Spurs’ fifth summer signing, after Serge Aurier joined the club today while Davinson Sanchez, Juan Foyth and Paulo Gazzaniga have also been brought in.
Llorente was Swansea’s top scorer in the Premier League last season with 15 goals, and will be a welcome addition to Spurs’ forward ranks with Harry Kane and Vincent Janssen.
The former Juventus man however has missed Swansea’s opening three games and the entire pre-season after fracturing his arm in a cycling accident earlier in the summer.
He has been training at his former club though, and was expected to feature after the international break, so he could make his debut in Spurs’ next game against Everton.
Llorente was expected to sign for Chelsea yesterday, and Sky Sports reported that Spurs only made initial contact with Swansea yesterday as the Blues failed to agree a fee for the striker.
Which has been a running theme for Chelsea this summer, having seen Romelu Lukaku and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain taken from under their noses by Manchester United and Liverpool.
While Tottenham’s summer business may not be finished here, while talk over Ross Barkley has cooled there appears to be interest in Barcelona midfielder Andre Gomes, but they will have to compete with West Ham for his signature.
While BBC Sport have claimed that with Llorente’s signing, Janssen may be allowed to leave the club on loan, and was thought to have been offered to Swansea but Bony is set to move to the Liberty Stadium.
Stoke City and West Brom have also been linked with the Netherlands international, and with a couple of hours left in the transfer window it remains to be seen whether Janssen will be on the move.
Llorente will definitely add another dimension to Spurs’ attack, which has come under some criticism this season for looking too stagnant and predictable.