After having the rare luxury of multiple options in the attacking third for a few months, especially in the striker’s position, Arsene Wenger is again left with the option of Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez with the rest going down to injuries. While Lucas Perez is out for a few weeks with an ankle injury, Danny Welbeck is still not match-fit and Chuba Akpom is yet to return for another month.
While any manager would go out for reinforcements, it is not the case with Arsene Wenger. Although the Frenchman is unlikely to do any business this winter, Metro have reported that the Gunners are interested in a transfer move for the highly-rated Torino striker Andrea Belotti, but have been put off by his mammoth £50million price tag.
Of course, Wenger is not known for over-splashing the cash on highly-rated transfer targets, but we have recently seen with the transfers of Shkodran Mustafi and Granit Xhaka that he might make a move if the player is a right fit in his plans. Reportedly, the Gunners were keen on bringing the Italian international to the Emirates Stadium this winter, but may now wait until the summer to try and pen a deal.
Wenger is apparently a fan of Belotti and we might see an audacious bid from the Gunners sooner or later. The 23-year-old has been prolific this season, scoring 14 goals in 18 games, and is regarded as one of world football’s next big stars.
It was since he joined from Palermo the previous season that he is attracting a lot of interest from top Premier League club such as Chelsea, Manchester United and even Tottenham Hotspur. Belotti is quite similar to Alexis Sanchez in his on and off the ball work rate and his versatility to play anywhere in the attacking third is what is really admired by Arsene Wenger.
His persistence, which leads him to chase defenders forcing them to commit mistakes, could make him an invaluable asset in the Premier League. With the likes of Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, Granit Xhaka and Alex Iwobi behind him to provide him service, he could really flourish at Emirates under Wenger. Young talent rarely comes cheap these days, and considering the rate at which Belotti is developing, he is could be worth the money.
However, reports are also ripe that Torino are unwilling to part ways with their striker for obvious reasons and are set to extend Belotti’s contract until 2021, which will boost his release clause well over the 80-million-euro mark. Arsenal will definitely have to cough up way more than they generally initiate their negotiations with.
