Spanish forward Fernando Llorente has said that Swansea refused to allow him to leave for Chelsea in January, after having garnered interest from Stamford Bridge.
Antonio Conte, who ultimately led the Blues to the title, had his eyes set on the striker whom he worked with back at Juventus. However, nothing materialised and Llorente stayed at the Liberty Stadium to help the Swans maintain their Premier League status.
The Italian tactician saw Llorente as a threatening box presence who could deputise for star man Diego Costa. But given the Swans’ position on the table back then, letting the player leave would have probably ended their chances of survival.
Questioned on the matter on Radio Marca (H/T ?talkSPORT), Llorente said: “At that time we were in a delicate situation.
“I was the one who was making the goals at Swansea and they would not let me leave.”
Fernando Llorente scored vs. 4 of the top 7 Premier League teams this season:
???? vs Liverpool
?? vs Chelsea
?? vs Man City
?? vs Everton pic.twitter.com/7JRIcHPQBK— Squawka Football (@Squawka) May 25, 2017
The 32-year-old ended the campaign with 15 Premier League goals for the Welsh side, helping keep them up, and Chelsea went on to lift the title.
He does expect Swansea to receive offers for his services in the summer, though, and isn’t ruling anything out.
“It was a spectacular year. It was a bit tough at first because things did not start well, but the final was spectacular,” he said, via ?Wales Online.
“There were times where the club thought they were going down, but I was able to give almost everything I had and I am very happy.
“I have a year of contract and I am very happy. It is logical that offers can come, but we will see.
“I hope things go well, if I stay or I’m going. Many things can happen in the summer.”
Kavan Flavius is a regular contributor to the Official Chelsea Guest Fan Blog, find him on Twitter @KavanFlavius.
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