by Once the darling of the Italian game, Torino and Italy striker Andrea Belotti has faded from the spotlight somewhat in recent years. The Granata currently sit a lowly 17th in Serie A, only a point clear from the relegation spots and a whopping six behind Benevento in 16th. Despite having a game in hand ahead of those above him, two wins in their last six means the Turin side cannot be sure they have enough to stay up alone. This would have dire consequences – but would definitely mean that Belotti moves on in the summer.
However, this year has actually been one of genuine renaissance for Italy forward. With 11 goals and 5 assists in the league, he has played over 2,500 minutes and been a key contributor to keeping Torino in with a shout of staying up. He has also continued to impress when it matters, with a fair number of his goals arriving as the winner. Belotti, though, with his revival now complete, is unlikely to stick around the Granata any longer. Having already stayed for their high point, keeping the team up would be a fair ending point for a relationship that has been beneficial for both parties.
Where would Belotti sign?
The most obvious landing point would be with Milan. With the team build around 39-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic in attack, the likes of Rafael Leao have failed to be the consistent backup needed. As such, the arrival of Belotti could be seen as the way to galvanize the attack and to allow Ibrahimovic to come out the side without a huge gulf in quality as happens just now.
The player is also known to be a fanatical Milan fan, growing up desiring to play for the club. Having flirted with signing him in the past, the other strongest link might worry Milan; Internazionale. With the talk that Romelu Lukaku could leave in the summer, this would leave Milan likely to miss out on the striker to the team who is likely to win the Serie A title.
That could leave Milan sitting feeling as Inter likely did last summer; wondering how they missed out on a surefire signing. When Sandro Tonali was almost waiting to go to Inter, Milan swooped and instead completed the deal, offering a better package than Inter as the Nerazzurri instead invested their funds into Arturo Vidal. With the veteran Chilean a flop and sure to move on, they might not be willing to wait too long to let rivals Milan make the first move for a second summer.
Belotti, though, would be an ideal fit for Milan – he would offer aggression, goals, a threat at set pieces, and hard work that the veteran Swede can likely no longer match. Though likely to be an expensive signing, it would be fair to say that Belotti would represent the finest option for Milan to help bolster their offensive line and make a return to previous glories likely.
