Hodgson wants £12m Llorente

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is keen on Atletico Bilbao forward Fernando Llorente and is ready to make a big money offer to bring the Spanish international to Anfield.

The giant 6ft 5in striker has been a consistent attacking force for the past three La Liga seasons and is now part of Vicente Del Bosque's all conquering World Cup winning side and could well be ready for a new challenge.

Llorente has been at the Basque club since the age of 11 and has proven a solid performer in recent seasons netting 53 times in the past three years but has seen Bilbao fail to make a move towards the European spots in the La Liga table.

Hodgson may feel that Llorente could complement Fernando Torres in a front pairing. Having already offloaded Yossi Benayoun and Albert Riera the Liverpool boss would hope to have money to further reinvest in his squad after bringing in Raul Meireles from Porto.

The fact that the Merseyside outfit have two prominent members of Spanish international side may well act as further temptation for the Pamplona born forward.

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.