Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was reportedly keen on signing Fernando Llorente last summer after watching the striker up close and personal as he impressed during Athletic Bilbao's two-legged elimination of Manchester United in the Europa League last season. However, he was unprepared to pay the then quoted £35 million asking price and cooled his interest in the player.* He hasn't given up on landing his signature, however. Llorente recently rejected a contract extension with the Basque outfit and is currently in the final six months of his contract.** That has alerted Ferguson as well as a string of rivals including Juventus and Arsenal. Llorente was thought to be close to signing for Juve this month however boss Antonio Conte has since stated a move for the Spaniard this month could be too problematic, meaning Ferguson is still in the chase. Source(s): * Metro, ** Goal.com