Scouting Potential Tottenham Summer Transfer Target Fernando Llorente

Tottenham have wasted no time getting involved in the transfer market this summer. 

Having completed the sales of Etienne Capoue to Watford, Lewis Holtby to Hamburg and Paulinho to Guangzhou Evergrande, they also brought in Burnley right-back Kieran Trippier, Cologne centre-back Kevin Wimmer and Atletico Madrid defender Toby Alderweireld. 

Those moves appear to have helped turn a weakness from last season, namely Tottenham's defensive options, into a strength for the coming campaign. 

After a busy day of announcements on Wednesday, chairman Daniel Levy told the Standard that Spurs are "trying to business early."

His questionable grammar aside, that interview suggests that the club is by no means done in this summer's transfer market. 

Tottenham's strike force must be the next point of upgrade. 

Harry Kane is, of course, one of Europe's hottest strikers. The last 18 months of his career compare favourably with any young forward across the continent. 

His strike partners, though, are simply not up to requirements. 

Roberto Soldado, as popular as he may be with the fans, has never shown signs of adapting to the Premier League. The Mirror was one of many outlets reporting mutual interest between Soldado and La Liga overachievers Villarreal earlier in the week. 

Soldado's request for a return to Spain, as reported by the Guardian, should be honoured, as both parties recognise the futility of continuing with this experiment.

Emmanuel Adebayor, the other option alongside Kane, is even more problematic. Any sale of the enigmatic Togolese forward appears to be complicated by his excessive wages but Spurs will be desperate to move him on. 

Mauricio Pochettino is, as a result, searching desperately for other options. 

According to multiple reports, Juventus forward Fernando Llorente is available this summer, and Spurs are among the interested parties. 

This is not as far-fetched as it first appears. 

Juve, European Cup runners-up and four-time consecutive champions of Italy, have restructured their attack this summer. 

Simone Zaza, Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala have all been acquired for significant sums while the brilliant youngster Kingsley Coman and the big-game player Alvaro Morata complete their stunning strike force. 

This means that there is little room for Llorente, and Juve will be keen to bring in a fee for the hulking Spaniard. Reports suggest a bid of around £10 million could be enough to convince Massimiliano Allegri to release him into Spurs' grateful hands. 

It is more than fair to say that he is available this summer. 

Spurs aren't the only side that are interested, but they can offer first-team football that the likes of Liverpool cannot. If Llorente joins as only Spurs' second senior striker, he will play plenty of football. 

His wages have been described as huge by the Metro, among others, but as Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe points out, they are only around £60,000 per week. That is certainly within Spurs' reach. 

"

I think Fernando Llorente is attainable for a club like #THFC. Juve stacked w/ STs and his wages won't be too heavy. £60k p/w is normal.

— Sam Tighe (@stighefootball) July 9, 2015"

Certainly, Llorente is available and attainable. The question remains whether he is the right kind of player for Tottenham and, more specifically, Pochettino. 

At 6'5", Llorente is a big man. Superficial comparisons with former Spurs striker Peter Crouch are wide of the mark. 

He is three inches shorter than Crouch and almost two and a half stone heavier. 

A more accurate comparison is Southampton's Graziano Pelle. 

They share the same combination of physical presence and skill. 

Llorente is a more accomplished player. His success both in Spain and Italy is telling. Unlike for Soldado, there is reason to believe that Llorente would succeed in England. 

The prime concern of Spurs' transfer policy should be improving the team around Kane. He is the future of the club, and Tottenham must find players to work with him. 

Llorente has played a number of roles for Juve, demonstrating his flexibility while he was the main man at Athletic Club before that. 

While playing in Bilbao, Llorente was the spearhead of Marcelo Bielsa's excellent side, a team that played an aggressive quick-transition style, which is broadly comparable with Pochettino's approach at Spurs. 

Kane is both an excellent playmaking forward and a superb poacher. 

Llorente's ability to make chances with his strength and size would create goalscoring opportunities. His intelligence with and without the ball will complement Kane's comparable abilities. 

Paolo Giovannini/Associated Press

At his best, Llorente is a powerful and intelligent centre-forward who makes defenders uncomfortable and opens up space for his teammates. 

He could both play alongside Kane, allowing the Englishman to drop into the No. 10 role and in place of him. 

His experience, along with playing multiple leagues and international tournaments, could only help the young Kane to continue to develop. 

Signing Llorente would make Spurs' attack more varied and ultimately more effective. 

Kane scored 21 league goals last season. He is now a known quantity and will be the focus of every opposition side's pre-match planning. 

Tottenham need a reliable striker who can take some of the load and chip in with goals on occasion. 

Kane will be the focus of everything that Tottenham do in coming seasons, but the signing of a quality veteran striker will help him to develop and enable him to continue to grow. 

If Llorente arrives at Tottenham for as little as £10 million, he would almost certainly have an impact far in excess of his price.