27 Nov 2012

Freudian slip? £29m LFC striker target drops huge transfer hint. Next stop Anfield...?

Last week, Athletic Bilbao President Josu Urrutia confirmed that long-term Liverpool target Fernando Llorente would not be leaving during the January transfer window, insisting that Bilbao's attack is 'much more competitive' with the coveted striker in the team. Basque public television channel Euskal Telebista (ETB), announced last month that Llorented had 'informed the club's Directors' of his intention to leave, but the man himself has once again claimed that he has no desire to leave. Or has he?

Speaking to Reporters over the weekend, Llorente was asked again about his future, and he replied:

"I do not care what might happen, I do not think beyond that, the only future I think about now giving everything for the Athletic. My only future now is to continue at Athletic and give everything here. Further to that I do not think about it, and I do not care."

That may be the case, but in the same interview, Llorente unwittingly seemed to confirm that he's leaving the club at the end of the season. He said:

"Hopefully, I can get a few goals by the end [of the season], the more the merrier, and thereby leave the team as high in the table as possible"

That certainly sounds like someone who expects to leave the club at the end of the season.

Llorente recently revealed that he sought advice from ex-Liverpool stars Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres over a potential move to the Premier League. It's no secret that the Reds are long-term admirers of the Spanish star, and Llorente himself confirmed earlier in the year that representatives from Anfield 'came to Bilbao' to negotiate a possible transfer.

The Spaniard is having a tough time this season; he's made only one La Liga start so far, and he admits that he's struggling for confidence:

"Currently, the fact that I am not playing continually means I am perhaps lacking the confidence to put some goals away. But I have to forget what has happened, and I just have to keep working."

Llorente's current deal contains a €36m (£29m) buy-out clause, but that figure is highly optimistic, and I doubt he'd go for anywhere near that amount.

Signing the Spaniard may appear to be a pipe dream for LFC fans at the moment, but if Brendan Rodgers is really interested, I'm sure FSG will (in the summer) put up the money to sign him, or a striker of comparable quality

Luis Suarez joined Liverpool when the club was not in the Champions League, so it's conceivable that other top players could do the same.

Jaimie Kanwar


47 comments:

  1. only happen if they sell suarez fsg =downgrading all the time

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  2. youre not really optimistic tho

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  3. I don't think "leave" is meant in the way you understood that ;)

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  4. rip stephen packer only the good die young

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  5. whats there to be optimistic about owners who are here for the money,or rodgers makka pakka football

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  6. I really think that comment just means that he wants to help Bilbao finish as high up the table as possible come the end of the season. That would be in keeping with the general theme of the interview. He probably will leave, but I don't think that comment reveals anything.
    Also it is problematic in making these calls on the back of a translation from Spanish to English.
    Just my critique!

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  7. i would prefer other players.
    Of course cavani would be the most exciting one, but this wont happen im quite sure unforuneatelly.
    We shoud focus on Bony i love this guy. Bent scored goals but doesnt really fit into the team. If its real, a loan deal would be really nice, to have him as a super sub.
    Huntelaar wont join us, and Ba is the same as bent in my view.
    Remy sounds interesting too! What about Aubameyang from Saint-Etienne?

    Hopefully we can add more than just one striker in january! ( to improve some other places on the pitch)
    A right winger with a left foot maybe ? Bringing Ince back would be great
    Lewis Holtby would be also one of our dream signings.

    Not so sure about all these things, because Rodgers is confusing me! one day: we ll buy the quality we need in january
    next day: We wont bring in a lot of players or expensive players
    Next day: Liverpool could be interessting for every world class player on the world.
    Next day: we target top 4, so we need to bring in some class players.

    Just dont understand his logics

    YNWA

    DerBaumMann

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  8. the last years we spent loads of money. To much for overrated players and everybody knows that!!

    FSG have the money and FSG will spend it. but to be honest, would you like to have an abramovic in your club ? i wouldnt. Or ManCity owners? No way for me.

    FSG will point us back in the top 4 im sure about that!!

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  9. and iam sure they wont we will just have to agree to disagree

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  10. we've spent loads of money true but look at at the fsg net spend at it's quite low.

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  11. The way fsg are puckerin up their arses we,ll probably end up with some bum who buys into the cacka takka revolution, dont mean to sound like a suicide case but i tired of bein blagged were movin in the right direction, i prefer north to south!

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  12. well said jason, R.I.P young guy

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  13. they signed suarez to show good will how much have they spent net ? and do not forget the years of being ripped off by the last set of cowboys the club is light years behind and when financial fair play comes in we will drop even further behind

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  14. Well if the right direction is anything like Rodgers tactics the best we can hope for is staying where we are as he dont do forward its all side to side or backwards

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  15. That's a weak link, all he means is he wants the club as high as possibe before the end me the season. At no point does he say "before I leave the club"

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  16. We have a top player Texeira worth more than what we will lose on Carroll. it's only a matter of months at most before he will be indespensible, how He is not in the first team squad now is beyond belief.
    How can Joe Cole get near our first team ?.

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  17. The reason he isn't playing is that he hasn't signed a new contract and will be a free agent in the summer. When he leaves Bilbao it will be for a lowish fee in Jan or for nothing in the summer?

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  18. jesus your articles are beyond reaching, embarrassing

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  19. Llorente's current deal contains a €36m (£29m) buy-out clause, but that figure is highly optimistic, and I doubt he'd go for anywhere near that amount.

    On a free in the summer

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  20. Jason you're really starting to annoy me now with your incessant idiotic comments slandering FSG and Rodgers to anyone that will listen.

    Why shouldn't owners be here for the money? Why would you spend hundreds of millions of pounds on something and not expect a return? This is why they are businessmen and you are not.

    They have invested, it didn't go to plan. They also spent around £30 mil in the summer and have reiterated that they plan to allow funds in January>

    If you want to talk splashing the cash: City and Chelsea, basically the two biggest spending football clubs in recent times are both out of the champions league(basically). Arsenal, a conservative club who run by a close enough business model to the new one being implemented at our club consistently qualify for the Champions League and are dominating their group now. We need to get to their level before we can progress, can't you see that?

    Btw, Jamie K, do you still think we should get rid of Enrique, or is El Toro looking more like the player we had when we signed him(and more) - I'm for option no.2

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  21. If Llorente leaves Bilbao it most certainly will not be to join Liverpool. The sort of player Liverpool can attract is someone in the Henderson ability range - in other words, someone utterly useless. By the way, I've seen Llorente playing several times - he's nothing special. Maybe marginally better than Andy.

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  22. Well said DLFC

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  23. lost hope dream on
    heh...

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  24. Jeez, it annoys me!!! All you doom and gloom merchants, BR has only been in the job 4 months. We are playing better football than we have for a while. Youngsters like Wisdom and Sterling have made a mark. I think Downing and possibly Henderson will leave but BR didnt buy them, give the man a chance!
    Alright, we are not getting into the box much and scoring many goals but that will come when Suarez has someone to play off, rather than having to create and score!! Confidence is getting better (no defeats in the last 8). Look at the positives rather than the negatives. You can certainly tell the true scousers on here!!

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  25. Jesus, what a shameless way to get hits. Absolutely no foundation in the headline, the word 'leave' was probably put in by a translator. I know I'll be thinking twice before coming on this site again.

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  26. Jason Carr. Do you even realise what's going on in the club? FSG are trying to make the club self sustainable like Barca. Not have to keep buying players all the time. I'd hate it if liverpool bought 10 players in the summer and splashed the cash. Rather us groom our own stars. Make success all the more sweet. Don't care how long it takes. Under this new management, it will happen. I'm so happy we have Brendan and FSG. We are so lucky to have them. Saying that even though I would rather Adam Morgan brought in to get the goals, we do need a big striker to player along side the main man Suarez.

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  27. Been in and out of the side at Bilbao this season, fallen out with Bielsa it seems.

    Would love to see him at LFC, though probably not the kind of age FSG want? Considering his contract situation, surely FSG can sort something out? :/

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  28. Good point about Enrique. By far our best performer over the last 3 games..

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  29. typical yanks. poor as ever.

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  30. These idiotic transfer articles are pathetic.. we are broke as a club and fsg has shut the wallet. the only players we can afford are loan signings and championship players... give this crap a rest with the "29m liverpool target" headlines...not to mention you put the same sounding headlines up on every third article...how about some originality???

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  31. Weather u all like it or not yes indeed LFC is heading to barca style of managment. Just tht we are very very very unlucky for the past years but luck and Glory soon will knock Anfields door, our turn is on its way.

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  32. I've read many articles by this Jaime Kanwar who writes for 'Liverpool Kop' but I'm yet to hear anything other than purely personal speculation founded on nothing but the urge to write just about anything that springs to mind. Hope he's got a proper job: if not... He could always start his own horoscope column

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  33. Players on last years of contract:

    Walcott, Llorente, Klaas, Honda, Sissoko

    Get them all I say..!! :D

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  34. He's 27 now, nearly past his best and still behind Torres in the Spanish national team. He waited too long to move away from San Mames for a real top club to pick him up. You'll see him at Valencia or a club like that if he stays in Spain or at the mid-table clubs abroad which, granted, we are but it's not where we want to stay. He's not the right player for LFC.

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  35. I am not a scouser, but a true Red. I agree with you on the positives of the team right now. Changing managers will only set us back further. Give BR some time. The team is begining to take shape. Defense looks solid now compared to start of season.
    The wins will eventually come. but the team and manager need the fans ultimate backing and support. now is the time to show that we are the best football fans in the world. YNWA

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  36. Unfortunately Jason is a fickle fan that see football through the eyes of championship manager. I for one think FSG and BR are doing a good job with limited resources. It was never going to change overnight but what I see is plenty of positives. The "big" sides aren't playing well so if we can pick up a canny signing in January who knows what might happen.

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  37. Exactly. Why would they buy the club for hundreds of million and then not try to make it worth more than that, which wouldn't be the case if they assembled a squad that's not competitive.

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  38. Nearly past his best? Aren't football players supposed to be at their peak at 28? Thought I read that quite often. It's different for goalkeepers, though, and players who basically rely on their pace (Owen, Torres).

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  39. damn, he is old?!? He waited because he's been loyal and Bilbao took advantage of it. If he doesn't come to us he'll probably go to Juve, and you will change your mind when he scores 20 in Serie A and 6 in cl..

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  40. FL is a good porcher, but i think hes bit slower for the English game, i would rather like Cavani, he will get players into the play in attacking 3rd... and score those vital porchers goals... and put some more fire into El Pistolero's drive... think abt it, El pIstolero and El Matador...

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  41. Van Persie, Vucinic, roony-old?

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  42. Great minds think alike, haha...

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  43. You've seen couple of bad games, and they are rare-trust me...

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  44. Absolutely agree, Bimma. Unfortunately there are bigots in all walks of life who cannot, or will not, accept anything other than their own blinkered outlook. Brendan Rogers has steadied the ship. We are progressing steadily up the table slowly but surely. It was never going to be a 5 minute fix! Three points tonight would be brilliant, but even a point at Tottenham would be acceptable. I would far rather have FSG at the helm rather than the Russian Mafia at Chelsea. Lot brighter days to look forward too at Anfield.

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