Real Sociedad ace Diego Llorente turned down the chance to sign for Wolverhampton Wanderers last summer as he didn’t want to uproot his young family from their San Sebastian home, according to Noticias de Gipuzkoa.
Technically gifted and physically strong, while equally comfortable at centre-half or in defensive midfield, the five-time Spain international is certainly the kind of versatile performer who tends to thrive under Nuno Espirito Santo.
Llorente, a 6ft 1ins giant of a man in the Leander Dendoncker mould, could have joined the ranks of an ambitious, forward-thinking outfit ahead of the 2019/20 season. But it seems that Wolves’ offer simply came at the wrong time.
According to reports from the Basque country today, Llorente turned down the opportunity to swap the Anoeta for Molineux as he had just become a father.
Hardly the optimum time, then, to up sticks and leave his homeland for a whole new country.
12 months on, Llorente appears to be far more open to the idea of bidding farewell to a Champions League-chasing Sociedad side who have thrilled all before them in La Liga this season. The former Real Madrid defender has a £45 million release clause in his contract but La Real may be willing to accept a much lower fee.
Whether Wolves try again, however, remains to be seen.
Dendoncker himself is facing an uncertain future with Lazio identifying the Belgian powerhouse as the ‘dream’ signing (Calciomercato). And, if that deal does go through, Llorente should be capable of replacing the ex-Anderlecht man with ease.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
