Manchester United have been chasing Torino star Andrea Belotti for quite a while. The Italian centre-forward is one of the hottest properties in the transfer market and is being chased by a number of clubs. United have been monitoring the striker and are ready to trigger his release clause which is in the tune of £85m.
The Italian international has been one of the blazing guns for the Turin-based side as he has netted 27 goals this season. United was the fewest scoring side among Premier League’s top seven and Jose Mourinho definitely wants to change his side’s goal scoring form. They had to depend on Zlatan Ibrahimovic for goals as the Swede had been the provider having netted 26 goals this term.
Belotti is under contract with the club till 2021 but if Torino gets an assured amount, they could release him this summer. United are currently working primarily on three transfers including Belotti with the other two being Michael Keane and Antoine Griezmann.
Things were not the same before the Europa League final as the United hierarchy were not so sure of the outcome but now that a Champions League place is guaranteed, they will go hard in the transfer market. They have the purse to spend this summer and Jose Mourinho has already handed his wish list to United CEO Ed Woodward before going on a vacation.
Belotti’s outstanding form also linked him with Chelsea as Antonio Conte has been searching for a suitable replacement for Diego Costa if he opts to leave. There have been concerns that the player might leave to China where he would earn much more than he is currently earning at the Stamford Bridge.
Mourinho had hoped to show strong determination in the transfer market by spending very aggressively. United also spent fiercely in the last summer as they got the chequebook ringing to bring the likes of Paul Pogba, Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
With Champions League also in the offing, Mourinho needs to rectify his squad’s weak points. He is one of those managers who doesn’t waste money on players whom he doesn’t want in his side. If Belotti comes, he would be deployed upfront with Griezmann operating from slightly behind. Marcus Rashford did showcase his potential in the last few games but he is expected to fall down the pecking order.
United is expected to bargain with Torino but the Italian club is holding off for nothing less than £85m. Should United splash the cash?
