Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly ready to cash in on Fernando Llorente.
Fernando Llorente may have only joined Tottenham Hotspur from Swansea City back in August, but his time in North London may already be coming to an end.
The London Evening Standard reported earlier this week that Spurs are ready to sell Llorente this summer, and he won’t be Tottenham’s main replacement for the injured Harry Kane.
After hitting 15 goals for Swansea last season, the Spaniard was seen as the ideal foil for Kane, but he has struggled to find the net in a Tottenham shirt.
The 32-year-old target man has found the net just five times in all competitions, whilst just one Premier League starts sums up the problems the former Juventus striker has suffered under Mauricio Pochettino.
A summer exit appears inevitable, and one team who should be monitoring developments is Newcastle United, should they guarantee their Premier League status for next season.
Back in 2015, AS reported that now-Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez wanted to lure Llorente to Real Madrid as competition for Karim Benzema, and whilst that deal didn’t go through, it seems that Benitez does have an admiration for his compatriot.
Benitez’s January deal for Islam Slimani shows that he wants a big, physical striker with aerial ability, and Llorente fits that bill perfectly, whilst he has already shown how influential he can be in the Premier League as a team’s leading striker, rather than having to simply impress off the bench as he has with Spurs.
Benitez may need financial backing to secure a deal – whether that comes from a takeover or from Mike Ashley – but the Newcastle boss should be prepared to offer Llorente an escape from his Tottenham nightmare this summer.
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