Chelsea Reportedly Consider Fernando Llorente Loan Move in Fresh January Rumours

Chelsea are reportedly considering the possibility of a loan move for Tottenham Hotspur forward Fernando Llorente before Wednesday's transfer deadline. 

According to Sami Mokbel of the MailOnline, Blues manager Antonio Conte is desperate to sign a striker before the window shuts, and despite turning Chelsea down in the summer in favour of Spurs he is pondering another swoop for Llorente.

However, it's noted that Tottenham would not be keen on letting the Spain international depart on a temporary basis.

"Similarly, Tottenham will be reluctant to sell Llorente on a permanent deal—but an offer in excess of the £15 million spent to sign him from Swansea in August could tempt them," the report continued.

According to Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph, Chelsea would need to spend big if they were to prise the player away from Tottenham:

As noted by Mokbel, Conte wants to add a target man to his squad at Stamford Bridge, with Michy Batshuayi possibly departing for Borussia Dortmund as a replacement for Arsenal-bound Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Gunners striker Olivier Giroud is on Chelsea's list of targets, but the Premier League champions are reportedly only willing to part with £15 million for the striker, who is valued at £30 million by his current club.

According to BBC Sport's David Ornstein, Tottenham and Chelsea held tentative talks about swapping their two strikers:

As the transfer deadline nears, the Blues appear to have a number of irons in the fire when it comes to signing a new striker. And Llorente is a forward admired by Conte, with the two having previously linked up at Juventus.

Things haven't worked out especially well for the former Athletic Bilbao man since his switch from Swansea, as he's played second fiddle to Harry Kane and struggled to make much of an impression when he has been given chances.

OLIVIER MORIN/Getty Images

While Llorente was expected to give Spurs a different dimension, he's not suited to the high-intensity football manager Mauricio Pochettino prefers to play. The striker has only scored two goals in all competitions and has started just one Premier League game.

Dan Kilpatrick of ESPN FC noted that Tottenham's attacking stars appear inhibited when the 32-year-old is on the field:

Spurs would struggle to sign a replacement in the final knockings of the window, so it makes sense they would only consider a sale for a massive amount.

If Chelsea were unable to get Llorente on a temporary basis, there will be reservations raised about a permanent transfer, especially when Batshuayi has proved again this season he can provide a prolific alternative at the point of the Blues attack.

Llorente can be effective in the right setup, but his struggles for Spurs, age and limited playing style would make a £25 million move a huge gamble from Chelsea.