Reports | Napoli sign former Tottenham striker Fernando Llorente
Serie A giants Napoli have confirmed that they have signed striker Fernando Llorente on a free transfer from last year's Champions League finalists Tottenham Hotspur. The striker is now returning to the Serie A, four years after he left serial winners Juventus in search of a new challenge.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis made the announcement on Twitter, saying, "Benvenuto Fernando". A number of clubs were interested in signing Fernando Llorente for free this transfer window. Fiorentina and Manchester United had been linked to the 34-year-old, and Tottenham had also considered re-signing the striker because of the club's lack of alternatives to striker Harry Kane, reports Goal.com.
The details of the contract have not been released as of now, but it is suggested that Llorente has signed a two-year deal and is set to earn around €2.5 million per season. Napoli have been on a spending spree this summer and have already spent more than £100 million on new recruits as the club looks eager to end Juventus' dominance in the domestic competitions. Their latest acquisition Hirving Lozano was signed for €42 million, despite serious interest from the Premier League.
Llorente was brought up in the Basque region of Spain and spent nine seasons with Athletic Bilbao. He then signed for Juventus where the Spaniard would go on to score 27 goals in 97 appearances. However, given the fact that he is 34-years old and Napoli does have other options, it's very likely that Napoli boss Carlo Ancelotti will look to use Fernando Llorente off the bench and maybe even in the cup competitions.