Andrea Belotti could land at Tottenham Hotspur after his Torino contract expires, Italian outlet Tuttosport (via Sport Witness) report.
The lowdown
Belotti’s deal is due to expire in June, and Torino’s president Urbano Cairo has admitted that the player appears to have ‘no intention’ of renewing despite being presented with a ‘huge’ offer.
The striker has bagged 109 goals and provided 28 assists in 244 appearances for the club overall – a record Premier League pundit Paddy Kenny dubbed ‘incredible’ – but has only found the net four times in 16 outings this season amid injury troubles.
Last summer, he appeared of six of Italy’s seven matches at the European Championships, including a 30-minute cameo in the final against England. It was the first major trophy he had won in his career.
The latest
According to reports in Italy, via SW, most of the top sides in Serie A are showing little interest in Belotti, but Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici are said to be admirers of their compatriot.
Belotti could wind up in the Premier League regardless, with unnamed mid-table sides also emerging as possible destinations.
The verdict
Spurs need an effective deputy for Harry Kane. They allowed Carlos Vinicius to return to SL Benfica at the end of his season-long loan and haven’t signed another striker in the two windows since to fill the apparent hole in their squad.
Indeed, Kane remains the only recognised centre-forward in Conte’s ranks.
Vinicius did manage to score ten goals for Spurs, but three of those came against eighth-tier side Marine in the FA Cup.
Belotti’s outstanding overall record suggests he would represent a step-up in quality.
All of a sudden, Spurs would go from lacking depth in the position to boasting an enviable pair of options, and it wouldn’t cost them a penny in transfer fees.
In other news, John Wenham is delighted by this development.