Five clubs that could sign Belotti in January
Torino president Urbano Cairo has confirmed that the club have all but given up on trying to keep striker Andrea Belotti next season.
The towering striker has less than a year remaining on his current contract and, according to Cairo, is not interested in extending it beyond its current expiration date.
“I made a huge contract proposal but I can’t force Belotti to accept. He has not signed [new contract] and I feel he has no intention to do it,” confirmed the Torino boss.
As such, it seems almost certain that Torino will be forced to sell the striker in January or risk losing him for free six months later. So where will Belotti end up?
Arsenal
One of the most obvious destinations for the Italian striker is Arsenal. Not only are Mikel Arteta’s side in desperate need of fresh blood up front, but they’ll also have the deep pockets necessary to entice Belotti to London in the first place.
With Alexandre Lacazette set to leave the club at the end of the season, Belotti would make for a smart signing and potential replacement.
Andrea Belotti’s current contract is expiring in June 2022, potential free agent. Torino president Cairo: “I made a huge contract proposal but I can’t force Belotti to accept. He has not signed [new contract] and I feel he has no intention to do it”, said to TMW. 🔴 #transfers
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 7, 2021
Tottenham
Another club that will be in desperate need of a new No.9 in January are, of course, Tottenham Hotspur. The Premier League side already have a tremendous striker in Harry Kane, but the England international has been tasked with being the sole source of goals for Spurs for far too long and a solid, reliable back up in the striker position is long overdue.
Not only would Belotti be an affordable option, but he could also slot straight into Kane’s role in the team.
West Ham
It was the worst kept secret in all of the Premier League that West Ham were in desperate need of a new striker. However, despite their best efforts to sign Jesse Lingard from Manchester United, the Hammers were left empty-handed ahead of the new season.
David Moyes’ side are doing just fine in the English top-flight this season but they could certainly use another striker up front. And Belotti could be the perfect answer to their problems.
Juventus
Although the Torino president swore to never sell Belotti to local rivals Juventus, he may not have much of a choice when the January window rolls around. If the striker is intent on making the move to the Old Lady, Torino may have to bite their tongue and accept a fee for the striker rather than let him leave for free.
For Juve, Belotti undoubtedly fills a gap in the team that Cristiano Ronaldo departed from and was never filled in the dying moments of the summer transfer window.
Barcelona
Due to the club’s financial turmoil, Barcelona’s transfer policy is essentially limited to scraping up bargains and swooping in for Bosman signings wherever possible. And that likely means the Catalan side will be very interested in making an offer for Belotti in January.
Following the abject performances of Luuk de Jong and Memphis Depay’s somewhat disappointing start to life in Catalonia, a proven goalscorer like Belotti would be a huge help for Ronald Koeman and his troubled side.