Following his rather contemptuous exit from Athletic Bilbao back in 2013 to sign for Juventus, Fernando Llorente’s relationship with the fans of his former club hasn’t exactly been great.
That’s why when rumours started appearing about the Tottenham striker potentially returning to his former club in January, it didn’t go down well.
Currently 16th in La Liga, the Basque side see Llorente as the right man to get them firing back up the league table, and Radio Marca’s Rafa Beato believes they’re prepared to do whatever it takes to get the transfer over the line even if that means ending up with fans being displeased.
He explains the football staff have given the green light for the deal, while the board are prepared to assume the ‘social divide’ Llorente’s return would cause.
Down the player’s end, the Spurs man, unconvinced by his situation at Wembley and of the offers on the table, is ready to negotiate with his former side, with contractual talks already underway.
As for how much Athletic will pay for the deal, it’s unlikely to be much considering he’s only got six months left on his Tottenham deal, but Beato assured, in a reply to his original post, some money would exchange hands.
