Andrea Belotti has told Torino he is open to staying and running down the final year of his contract, according to TuttoMercatoWEB, amid interest from Arsenal and Tottenham.
The Italian spoke with Il Toro manager Ivan Juric earlier this week at a crunch summit to discuss his future. Belotti reiterated to the Croatian once again his desire to honour the £68,000-per-week contract currently in place until 2022.
President Urbano Cairo has not ruled out selling Belotti in order to avoid the striker leaving Torino for free. The Toro chief has also declared the Serie A side received an important bid for the 27-year-old, and further offers could arrive should Inter Milan sell Romelu Lukaku.
Reports by Corriere dello Sport earlier this week claimed Zenit St Petersburg made Torino a €30m (£25.5m) offer for Belotti. However, TuttoMercatoWEB now note the forward turned down a move to Russia as he was not interested in the transfer.
Roma remain a potential option for Belotti under the right circumstances, while Arsenal and Tottenham also want the forward. That’s according to Corriere dello Sport, who note Spurs are still monitoring the striker Tuttosport claim the Gunners admire.
Atletico Madrid have also discussed a deal with Torino, but TuttoMercatoWEB claim Diego Simeone pulled the plug on signing Belotti. Il Toro value the Euro 2020 winner at €34m (£29m), and offered him a new €4m-a-year (£65k-p/w) contract to stay.
Belotti deals Arsenal and Tottenham blows with Torino stance
Belotti has dealt Arsenal and Tottenham blows to their pursuits by telling Juric he could stay at Torino this summer. The north London rivals may have hoped for the Italian to push for a move away from the Serie A side in order to help them drive down Cairo’s valuation.
A potential £29m fee would be significant for a player out of contract in less than a year’s time. But Cairo will be confident of sides at least coming close after Zenit’s approach, plus the potential post-Lukaku dominos falling.
Cairo would also have to way up the consequences of selling Belotti to an Arsenal or Tottenham below Torino’s value. His 13 goals and seven assists directly contributed to eight points last season, and Il Toro only avoided relegation by four points.
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