According to Tuttomercatoweb, Napoli striker Fernando Llorente could head back to Athletic Bilbao amid links to Everton.
Llorente has been left out of the Napoli squad for European action this season, and he looks set to leave the Italian side in January.
It’s now stated that Napoli are ready to let him go, and he may return to former club Athletic, given that they tried to sign him over the summer.
The 35-year-old first joined Athletic back in 1996 at the age of just 11, and ended up making 333 appearances for the club, scoring 118 goals.
Given that Bilbao only sign Basque players, Llorente makes perfect sense for them as a possible signing – even if he is now in his twilight years.
The news may be of interest to Everton, given that The Mirror (04/10, p72) reported that the Toffees were keen to sign Llorente before the international transfer deadline.
Carlo Ancelotti brought Llorente to Napoli last summer, and allegedly saw him as a short-term replacement for Moise Kean whilst he’s on loan at Paris Saint-Germain.
If Cenk Tosun or Ellis Simms can’t step up as cover for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, then Everton could take another look at the veteran in January, but Bilbao now pose a real threat to Ancelotti’s ideas.
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