Fernando Llorente is done with Athletic Bilbao. Come June, the 27 year old striker will be leaving on a free transfer instead of the club making money off of him last summer or this coming January transfer window. According to the striker, he prefers to land in the Premier League.

I really like the Premier League and I’ve mentioned on more than one occasion that it’s a league which appeals to me a lot. You never know. It’s one good option in terms of my future but we’ll have to wait until the end of the season to see what happens. t is true that we are approaching the date when I can sign for other clubs. I’m trying to keep it so that it is something which is managed by my brother and my representatives. That leaves me to focus on my football and help my team, Athletic, and nothing else, maintain focus.

Since refusing to sing a new contract and expressing his wish to play somewhere else, Llorente has been demoted by Marcelo Bielsa and the club, getting to play in only nine league matches this season, starting just one of them. For a striker who scored 35 league goals in the previous two seasons, it’s clear that it has nothing to do with his ability in training, especially with the club struggling to get away from the relegation zone this season.

In England, Tottenham, Manchester City and Arsenal are looking into the option of signing Llorente, who will be 28 next summer. Rumors suggest that the Spain international (21 caps, 7 goals) is on his way to Juventus, but these were the same rumors that suggested he was going to Arsenal and Juventus during the summer. Nothing came from them as well.

I think it’s normal that people talk about these things, but ultimately you have to respect the rules. I am an Athletic player and, until 1 January, I cannot sign with any other team.

Llorente has been a part of the Basque club’s setup since he was 11 years old. Since joining the senior squad, he has played in 245 league matches, scoring 82 goals.

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