Manchester United are leading the chase for Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente, according to Spanish daily AS.

 

Llorente has still not signed a new contract with Athletic and his current deal expires next summer.

 

And as the days tick by without an agreement being reached by both parties, the likelihood of Llorente being sold increases – and Sir Alex Ferguson’s men are at the front of the queue.

 

The powerful Spaniard has long been a firm favourite of Ferguson, who has continued to monitor his progress and the contract negotiations at the San Mames.

 

Now the emphasis is on Athletic to persuade Llorente to put pen to paper on an extended deal, otherwise the pressure to cash in will become irresistible.

 

The 27-year-old is currently on holiday after Euro 2012, a tournament he failed to make a single appearance in for La Roja, and contract talks are on hold until he returns.

 

Athletic quickly want to discover whether an agreement is possible and, if not, they will signal that the striker is available for the right price.

 

Ferguson, who has released Michael Owen and is also likely to sell Bulgarian hitman Dimitar Berbatov over the summer, is then likely to step up his interest.

 

However, there are sure to be other suitors for Llorente, not least from within La Liga where the player has at points been admired by both Barcelona and Real Madrid.

 

Last season Llorente found the back of the net 17 times in La Liga, while he also scored seven goals in Athletic’s impressive march to the Europa League final.

 

Latest Features: