Fernando Llorente will not be leaving Athletic Bilbao in the January transfer window, the club's president Josu Urrutia has said.
Llorente, 27, has attracted plenty of interest across Europe after a breakthrough season with Athletic last season but Urrutia is confident of keeping the star striker.
"I've a feeling these decisions will not please everyone, but I think they are the most beneficial for Athletic," Urrutia told reporters.
"We've taken our decision and at the moment we're sticking to it. He's an important player, he's shown that, and the team is more competitive with him.
"We hope that he continues to score important goals from now until the end of the season."
Llorente has netted just once in eight league outings this term.
Written by
Pascal Lemesre
Pascal Lemesre
