Tottenham steal march on Chelsea in race to sign Fernando Llorente as Swansea striker heads towards Spurs

Spurs will offer more for Spain striker as Chelsea face losing second transfer target

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Tottenham Hotspur have jumped ahead of Chelsea in the chase for Swansea City's Fernando Llorente, after Mauricio Pochettino decided to act on receiving an offer from West Bromwich Albion for Vincent Janssen.

The situation threatens to be the second time that the reigning Premier League champions have been beaten to a signing by a rival after losing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool on Wednesday, although those close to the Llorente deal say there has been frustration at the slow pace of the deal, despite manager Antonio Conte wanting the Spanish international since January.

Chelsea had been negotiating a fee for Llorente, and were hoping to pay around £12m, but Spurs have stepped in and are set to make Swansea better offer.

Conte brought Llorente to Juventus in 2013 where he scored 23 Serie A goals in 92 appearances, before departing the club for Sevilla in 2015.

The 32-year-old striker has made 24 appearances for Spain, scoring seven goals, but has had to play second-fiddle to the likes of Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata – another who has previous experience at Juventus – as well as former Blues forward Fernando Torres.