Chelsea known to be monitoring Llorente and happy to sell Mata this January.
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Juventus are lining up a clever cash-plus-player bid to Chelsea this January as they look to land want-away Spanish playmaker Juan Mata, CaughtOffside understands.
Mata has been linked with a whole host of top European clubs since it has become clear that he is not set to be part of the first-team picture under new manager Jose Mourinho this season, and Juventus are eager to join the chase for a player widely regarded as one of the best in the world in his position.
While the Italian giants will no doubt face strong competition from the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Atletico Madrid and PSG for the 25-year-old, they are hoping that they can edge out their rivals for his signature by offering an unsettled player of their own as part of the deal.
Fernando Llorente, who only joined the club this summer from Athletic Bilbao, is already thought to be keen on an exit from the Serie A champions after falling behind the likes of Carlos Tevez and Mirko Vucinic in the pecking order, and Chelsea are one of three Premier League teams said to be keen on signing him this January.
Arsenal and Tottenham have also been on the lookout for new strikers and could also make a move for the Spanish international, but both Chelsea and Juventus may feel they can kill two birds with one stone in helping each other offload unwanted players whilst strengthening relatively weak positions of their own.
Chelsea are short of options upfront, with none of Fernando Torres, Demba Ba or new signing Samuel Eto’o looking like finding the back of the net on a regular basis at the moment, and Llorente would be a welcome addition to Mourinho’s squad.
As for Juve, with the news that Andrea Pirlo may not be offered a new contract and could be set to leave as soon as January as well, Antonio Conte sees Mata as an ideal candidate to come in and become the team’s main playmaker, complementing the more defensive and physical styles of Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba in his midfield.
It is unclear as of yet if Mata himself would favour a move to Italy over a return to his native Spain, or indeed to remain in the Premier League, though Chelsea will want to avoid selling the former Valencia man to a title rival, and their desire to land Llorente could force this deal through.