UK Edition
Tottenham complete deadline day coup by hijacking Chelsea bid to sign Fernando Llorente
Tottenham Hotspur completed a transfer deadline day coup by hijacking Chelsea’s bid to sign Swansea City striker Fernando Llorente.
Chelsea started the day confident they would land Llorente, who head coach Antonio Conte wanted as a back-up to Alvaro Morata. But Spurs outflanked their London rivals by agreeing a fee of around £14 million early on Thursday morning and putting Llorente through a medical.
Tottenham were then forced to wait for Swansea to secure the signing of a replacement, but were able to complete the deal for Llorente once Wilfried Bony had successfully undergone a medical with the Welsh club.
There had been fears all day inside Tottenham that Chelsea would attempt a late hijack of their own, but those concerns receded as the minutes and hours passed until a picture emerged on social media of Llorente in a Spurs shirt.
Llorente will provide Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino with the top-quality support and cover for Harry Kane he has been seeking since last summer. Not only did Llorente score 15 Premier League goals for Swansea last season, he also has plenty of Champions League experience which will be vital for Tottenham.
As well as clinching the signing of 32-year-old Llorente, Tottenham tried to sign midfielder Andre Gomes on a season-long loan but could not complete a deal.
Both Spurs and West Ham United were interested in signing Gomes at the start of the day, but Pochettino thought he had convinced the former Valencia star to join him at Tottenham. Reports from Spain claimed Gomes and his family decided against a move to London, although Telegraph Sport understands that Barca were reluctant to let the player go out after they could not sign Philippe Coutinho.
The move for Gomes came as Everton refused to enter into negotiations with Spurs over Ross Barkley, who had been a long-term target of Pochettino.
Despite the late blow on Gomes, Tottenham felt the signing of Llorente rounded off a successful transfer deadline day, having confirmed the signing of right-back Serge Aurier from Paris Saint-Germain.
Aurier was on Wednesday informed that the French courts had downgraded the criminal conviction he received last year, allowing him to successfully submit a normal work permit application.
Spurs agreed the deal for Aurier some time ago, but had been left to sweat on whether or not the right-back would be allowed to enter the country.
Aurier was given a suspended two-month prison sentence for the assault of a police officer outside a Paris nightclub, which he appealed against. The 24-year-old Ivory Coast international missed a Champions League game at Arsenal last season after being denied permission to enter the UK because of his conviction.
Aurier has also been in trouble for homophobic language used to insult former PSG manager Laurent Blanc in the past, but the 24-year is ready for a fresh start.
“This is a huge and exciting opportunity at a massive football club and I am determined to prove myself as a professional both on and off the pitch,” said Aurier. “This is a fresh start for me and I will do everything to make the Spurs fanbase, which is huge and diverse, proud of me. The fans are the most important people at any club and I am looking forward to showing them and everyone at Spurs the real Serge Aurier.”