Swansea City 'very close' to completing move for Fernando Llorente from Sevilla

Former Spain international Fernando Llorente is set to agree a two-year deal, with an optional one-year extension, to move to Swansea City, IBTimes UK understands. The Welsh side are hoping to complete the deal by the end of the week, having made a breakthrough in negotiations with Sevilla over recent hours.

Swansea are in desperate need of boosting their attacking options before the start of the 2016-17 Premier League season, following the departures of Portugal international Eder, Alberto Paloschi and Bafetimbi Gomis.

First-team coach Alan Curtis admitted last month that the 31-year-old Spaniard was among the candidates to fill that gap.

IBTimes UK has been told that the striker was also on the radars of Real Sociedad, Sporting Lisbon and an unnamed Bundesliga club. However, he put those moves on hold to complete a switch to Swansea. He is understood to be eager to have an experience in the Premier League, having already been in talks with Everton last summer before opting instead to move to Sevilla.

Negotiations between Swansea and Sevilla had stalled due to the Europa League winners' cash demands. During the weekend Llorente's agent and brother even told Marca that a move to Wales was off the table as the forward was ready to continue at the Andalucian side for another season.

"Fernando will continue at Sevilla," Chus Llorente said. "We have decided not to listen to other offers. Sevilla are a team of champions, and Fernando wants to succeed in it, he also believes it has the necessary conditions for the new project."

But sources close to the negotiation have told IBTimes UK that talks have been reactivated in the last 24 hours and a deal between the clubs is now "very close" to completion. Over the weekend Sevilla signed two strikers in the form of Luciano Vietto and Wissam Ben Yedder, and they are now ready to let Llorente go, just 12 months after signing him from Juventus on a free transfer.

Llorente is waiting on the green light from the clubs to complete the move, as he has already ironed out personal terms to join Swansea in a two-year deal, with an option to extend it to the summer of 2019.

Meanwhile, Swansea are also in talks with Leicester City over Leonardo Ulloa. The Argentine striker is likely to make the move to Wales after his playing time was curtailed last season by the explosion in Jamie Vardy's form.

IBTimes UK understands the Foxes have turned down the first approach from Swansea as they want a significant increase on the £8m they paid Brighton and Hove Albion for the player. Yet, the negotiations are on-going and the Liberty Stadium outfit are confident they can pair Ulloa with Llorente upfront next season.