Leeds United will be looking to bolster their strike department in the summer transfer window, but the Whites certainly won’t be making a move for Tottenham Hotspur striker Fernando Llorente, according to Phil Hay of the Yorkshire Evening Post.
The Spanish international, who joined Spurs from Swansea City in 2017, will be leaving the north London club after the Champions League final against Liverpool.
The 34-year-old won’t be offered a new deal at Spurs, and he will be a free agent at the end of the season. This has led to some Leeds fans speculating that he could do a job at the Yorkshire club.
One Leeds fan asked the Yorkshire Evening Post journalist whether Leeds could sign the former Athletic Bilbao striker on free, to which Hay responded on his personal Twitter account that “it’s not feasible.”
you’ve got to be realistic about the sort of wage someone like Llorente earns. A bit like Milner, it’s not feasible.
— Phil Hay (@PhilHayYEP) May 30, 2019
SL’s Verdict
Although Llorente will be available on free, Leeds won’t be able to match his £75k-per-week wages.
Llorente is approaching the fag end of his career, but he is still sharp enough to play for any mid-table Premier League club or elsewhere in Europe.
For a player of his calibre, he won’t be willing to drop down to the Championship at the moment, although his chances of getting regular games are high here.
Leeds should look to sign young players from the Premier League (either on loan or permanently) and follow Aston Villa’s recruitment strategy (signings like Tammy Abraham and Tyrone Mings) that yielded them success last season.
Hay is absolutely spot on here. Leeds fans should be realistic about the players the club can purchase, and certainly, Llorente is beyond their reach.
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