The 5 biggest free transfers of the summer window

2. Fernando Llorente – Athletic Bilbao to Juventus

Fernando Llorente

While a slightly dull performance over the ’12/’13 season might have pushed his name to the back of some people’s minds, Llorente was certainly hot property in last year’s transfer window.

With slightly inflated valuations putting him at around 40 million, he was purportedly prime target for Manchester United who had seen first hand in the Europa League the damage he is capable of.

Barcelona were, reportedly, also in the hunt. But instead of moving to a different club, Llorente decided to enter the final year of his contract with a club he had already represented for 8 years.

Come January, it was made clear that his 9th would be the last with them, at least for now, as he agreed terms with Juventus but officially completed his transfer only on July 1st.

A very smart purchase by the Italian champions, who moved swiftly to capture someone that can drastically improve their conversion rates, and perhaps help them land a third consecutive title.