LONDON -- Chelsea manager Antonio Conte refused to deny reports that he tried to sign Fernando Llorente in January and spoke of his "great admiration" for the striker as his side prepare to take on Swansea City on Saturday.
Llorente was widely reported to be a target for Chelsea last month as Conte sought to bolster his striking options, with Michy Batshuayi not fully trusted and Diego Costa's future briefly uncertain after a training ground row and lucrative interest from Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian.
The pair won the Serie A title at Juventus together and Conte still has huge respect for Llorente, who has scored eight goals in 22 Premier League appearances for Swansea this season.