Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente will join Juventus in July, executive director Giuseppe Marotta said Monday. An official announcement will be made Tuesday, according to La Gazzetta Dello Sport.
Juventus, which will be missing several strikers for Tuesday's Coppa Italia match against Lazio, hoped to acquire Llorente for the second half of the season.
"We will find an opportunity to improve the group which won the scudetto and we will be involved in the market," Marotta told Radio 24. "Llorente? I am optimistic about his contract. In any case, he will play with Juve July 1."
Juventus is also negotiating with Didier Drogba and Lisandro Lopez, plus a partnership deal with Genoa involving Chile Under-20 star Nicolas Castillo of Universidad Catolica and Ecuador's Jose Cevallos.