Torino captain Andrea Belotti’s contract situation at the club has placed Arsenal on red alert.
The Italy international, 27, is into the final year of his contract in Turin and the club are doing their best to tie him down to an extension so that they do not lose him for anything next summer. One of the main objectives that would help Torino keep hold of their skipper is if they can improve their performances this term and stay away from relegation dogfight again after a dismal 2020/21 Serie A campaign.
The Calcinate-born striker, who is also on the radar of Juventus and Inter Milan, has featured in just three games in all competitions for Torino this term due to injury problems, scoring one goal in the process.
Andrea Belotti has been linked with a move to the Premier League in recent years, with his performances for Torino and Italy catching the eye of a host of top English clubs—including Arsenal.
Alexandre Lacazette heading for Arsenal exit
The Gunners are set to lose Alexandre Lacazette at the end of the season when his contract expires.
Talks over a new contract have so far failed to make a breakthrough and barring any twists and turn the France international will go for free to a new team unless a cut-price January sale is sanctioned. It is believed Lacazette has no interest in putting pen to paper on a new contract having lost his place in Mikel Arteta’s starting XI this term.
The 30-year-old striker entering the final year of his contract leaves Arsenal in a spot of bother, knowing he is unlikely to sign an extension at the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Arteta’s side have struggled for goals this season, scoring just five in seven games.
The Gunners’ first-choice striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has netted just two goals in six games, while Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard have chipped in with one each. Thus, signing a top striker has become absolutely paramount for the north London outfit next year.
Andrea Belotti could be a top acquisition for the Gunners
That being said, Mikel Arteta has already started chalking out Lacazette’s replacements and has suggested two names to the Arsenal board. One of them is Andrea Belotti, as the Gunners look to get him on a Bosman transfer in the summer of 2022.
Belotti is regarded as one of the top strikers in Serie A and has been a big hit for Torino since arriving from Palermo in 2015. In six seasons with I Granata, he has netted 106 goals while bagging 28 assists in 231 games in all formats. In addition, the 27-year-old has also been capped 39 times for Italy, for whom he has bagged 12 goals.
Belotti is a penalty box poacher, waiting to pounce on the opposition’s mistakes. Speedy, agile and sharp in front of goal, the Italian has proven himself in Serie A and is at the right age to make the jump to the Premier League. He has been Torino’s top scorer in five of the last six Serie A seasons and going by his solid numbers, the 27-year-old possesses the quality and skill-set to be Lacazette’s potential replacement at the Emirates Stadium.
All in all, If Arsenal can get their hands on Belotti on a free transfer next summer, it would be one of the biggest coups in the club’s history.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.