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Lorente returns to training to boost Swansea

London - Spanish international striker Fernando Llorente could be ready to play for Swansea City against Crystal Palace on Saturday week after returning to training, manager Paul Clement said.

The 32-year-old Spaniard -- who has been linked with a reunion with his former Juventus boss Antonio Conte at champions Chelsea -- has recovered from the broken arm he suffered on a family cycling holiday in Italy in July.

However, Clement said Llorente, whose 15 goals played a crucial role in maintaining Swansea's Premier League status last season, would not be ready for the visit of Manchester United this weekend as he had lost a lot of upper body muscle.

"Crystal Palace is a possibility. We will see," Clement told the club website about Llorente, who cost the club 5 million ($6.4m, 5.4m euros) from Sevilla last year.

"Because of the nature of the injury to the arm, he lost a lot of upper-body bulk.

"He managed as well as possible to maintain his cardio-fitness, but he is going to have to rebuild that upper-body strength which he wasn't able to work on while the arm was fractured.

"We will take it day by day with him.

"Hopefully he will respond well to the training and will be available soon."

Llorente's return to first-team action would be a welcome boost for Swansea, who are without playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson as the Icelandic international looks to complete a 50-million transfer to Everton.

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