Chelsea are keen to sign the Swansea City striker, Fernando Llorente, when the transfer window opens in January. Antonio Conte, the Chelsea manager, wants to add a striker to his ranks, and has made his desire clear to the club’s owner, Roman Abramovich.
The Blues have been heavily reliant on Diego Costa this season. The Spain international has been in tremendous form, and he is currently the top scorer in the Premier League, with 13 goals in 17 matches. Although Chelsea mainly operate with a lone striker, Conte feels that he needs more depth in the forward department.
Chelsea splashed around €40m to sign Michy Batshuayi from Marseille this summer, but the Belgian striker has not quite impressed. The 23-year-old has scored only one goal in 11 appearances so far, and has been struggling to get regular game time under his belt. Although Conte has publicly praised the striker’s development, he still wants to add another striker, preferably a more experienced player, as he aims for the Premier League title.
According to reports from AS, the Blues are looking to sign Llorente, who, having joined Swansea City from Sevilla this summer, has already scored six goals in 15 games for the Welsh side. Conte knows Llorente very well, having signed him for Juventus in 2013.
The 31-year-old striker, who made 34 appearances in Serie A, scoring 26 goals as Juve won the title in 2013-14, is viewed as the ideal man to deputise for Diego Costa. Llorente joined Swansea on a two-year contract, with an option of extending it for another year, but Chelsea believe they can still pull off a deal.
Another player who interests Chelsea is the former Manchester United striker, Javier Hernández, who plays for Bundesliga club, Bayer Leverkusen. According to reports from Bild, the German club are ready to listen to offers for him, but would ask for a fee of €40m. In that respect, Llorente provides a cheaper alternative for Chelsea.
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