Swansea boss keen to keep Llorente and Sigurdsson
Swansea boss Paul Clement has pledged to keep hold of prized assets Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente in the January transfer window.
Clement is set to make his first Swansea acquisition with Holland winger Luciano Narsingh close to completing his £4million move from PSV Eindhoven.
Swansea are also in talks with Norwich full-back Martin Olsson and Tottenham midfielder Tom Carroll, but it is keeping hold of two players linked to January moves away which could determine whether they win their Premier League survival fight.
Spain striker Llorente is Swansea’s top goalscorer this season with six and has been at the centre of feverish speculation that he will rejoin his former Juventus boss Antonio Conte at Chelsea this month.
Sigurdsson, Swansea’s most creative player, has five goals and six assists to his name and has been linked with Everton, Leicester and West Ham.
But Clement – who takes charge of his first Premier League game at home to Arsenal on Saturday – said: “You need to keep your best players and Gylfi and Fernando are two of the best players the team has got.
“You’d possibly expect interest in them, but they’re signed and contracted here and I want to keep them.
“I’ve enjoyed working with both of them already, they appear to be very motivated and focused on what we need to do to move this team forward.
“I can’t say anything will or won’t happen, and there’s a lot of speculation and gossip.
“But there’s been no conversation between me and the players, the players and the club, or the players and other clubs.
“So it’s just business as usual, getting down to work.”
Spurs midfielder Carroll played 18 times during a loan spell at Swansea two seasons ago and was a popular figure at the Liberty Stadium.
The England Under-21 international has had only one minute of Premier League action this season.
Sweden defender Olsson has been a Swansea target in the past, and his acquisition is more pressing now given Neil Taylor’s training ground injury on Wednesday morning.
Taylor has had an operation on a fractured cheekbone, suffered in a collision with Wayne Routledge, and must avoid any contact training for three weeks.
On Olsson, Clement said: “The two clubs are talking about the possibility (of a transfer).
“The stage it’s at is we’re looking to agree the terms.
“There’s also an interest (in Carroll) there. It’s a similar situation to Olsson, the clubs are in talks.”
Clement’s first league game will also see former Chelsea and France midfielder Claude Makelele in the Swansea dugout.
Makelele has joined the coaching staff and Clement believes the 43-year-old will have an immediate impact on the squad.
“He will bring a different dynamic to the backroom staff,” Clement said.
“I knew him briefly as a player at Chelsea, but much better when we worked together as assistants at Paris St Germain.
“We both assisted Carlo Ancelotti and worked together for 18 months, he has a wealth of experience of playing at the highest level.
“He understands the game. He knows and smells football and is very good with people as well.”