Llorente: 'Turned down Boca'

By Football Italia staff

Napoli forward Fernando Llorente revealed he rejected a move to Boca Juniors to remain in the Champions League.

The former Tottenham striker moved to Napoli last summer after being on the losing side in the Champions League Final against Liverpool last season.

Now he has revealed how he turned down the opportunity to join Argentinian giant Boca Juniors to continue his career in the prestigious tournament.

“They tried to sign me last summer,” he told ESPN. “But I wanted to continue to play in Europe and in the Champions League.”

Last night he came off the bench against Liverpool in the group stage match between the Partenopei and the reigning champions, but he didn't manage to help the team win at Anfield.

After getting on the score-sheet during a 2-0 win at the San Paolo earlier this campaign, the reverse fixture ended 1-1 on Merseyside - a fourth consecutive draw for the Azzurri.

“In the first half we did well in attack, but it’s not easy to win on this turf,” he said. “In the end we had great balance. The turning point was to score in the first half. In the second half we missed our chance to double the lead, something that might have made us calmer.

“The players got more tired towards the end of the game.”

Napoli’s fate is in their own hands and they will advance to the last 16 with a drag against Genk in the last round.

Now, they are preparing to face Bologna at the San Paolo, where they are looking to end a winless run of seven games across all tournaments.

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