Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Patrick Kluivert has poured cold water on head coach Unai Emery’s desire to sign Swansea attacker Fernando Llorente this January.
The Ligue 1 champions are in need of support for central striker Edinson Cavani but are struggling to find a solution to their problem. Emery wanted to call upon his former charge at Sevilla, but the sporting director has turned down such a course of action.
Nevertheless, the Dutchman is acutely aware of the need for reinforcements, stating recently: “We have a great forward in Cavani, but I think we need another attacker.”
Emery is in agreement and saw bit-part Swansea striker Llorente as a good option, despite barely playing him last season when he was still with the Primera Division side. However, he felt that the 31-year-old could compliment Cavani. Indeed, the Basque feels Llorente has characteristics similar to those of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who left PSG in the summer for Manchester United.
A deal was underway but Kluivert has put a halt to negotiations as he does not believe that Llorente will take the squad in the right direction.
Nevertheless, on Wednesday he told FranceTV that the club “will sign one player, maybe two”. He continued: “The winter market is really difficult. We will not buy for the sake of buying. It’s important to bring quality to improve our squad.
Emery echoed those words in a press conference, even if Llorente was not named.
“It’s a difficult market and we’re looking for a player to improve the squad. The club is working to find the right profile. I’m happy with the team I have, but after the first half of the season, we need competition in certain areas,” he said before the 7-0 Coupe de France win against Bastia last weekend.
PSG currently lie third in Ligue 1, five points behind shock leaders Nice.