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| Is Llorente (R) a possible van Persie replacement? |
By Nick Lander
With Robin van Persie now set for pastures new, attention is now turning to who, if anybody, will be brought into the club as a replacement. There has been low level speculation that Fernando Llorente would leave Athletic Bilbao for a while now, and his name has been quietly linked with a move to N5. However with van Persie's departure now more a formality than a possibility, the speculation is growing stronger.
The 27 year old Spaniard scored 28 goals for Bilbao last season, a respectable tally, and enough to earn him a call up to Spain's victorious Euro 2012 squad. At 6ft 5in Llorente has the physical presence that should make any adaptation to the more physical style of the Premier League easier. I did not manage to see too much of him last season, but from what I did, Llorente seems to be a striker from the same mould as van Persie, if slightly less likely to drop deep and link up play.
The stumbling block may be his £28m release clause, a figure that Arsenal will never agree to. He is, however, in the same situation as van Persie is in North London, as he only has a year to run on his contract. Something that means Bilbao may be open to negotiate a more reasonable fee, likely to be between £15m and £20m.
The Gunners have also been linked with moves for Fiorentina's Stevan Jovetic and Borussia Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski to replace Robin van Persie, but out of Jovetic, Lewandowski and Llorente, the Spaniard is probably the better player. I for one, would be happy to see him arrive at the Emirates.
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