Roma are increasingly confident that they will win the £25 million race to sign Jose Mourinho’s one-time Tottenham Hotspur target Andrea Belotti, according to Calciomercato.
Speaking back in October, just hours after the transfer window slammed shut, Torino went public with Spurs’ interest in their talismanic skipper.
“We had a chat with Tottenham but Belotti is too important for us,” said sporting director Davide Vagnati.
“I’d love to see Belotti stay at Torino for the rest of his career.”
Unfortunately for Vagnati, the Granata now have little choice but to prepare for the worst-case scenario; the moment everyone at the Stadio Olimpico has been fearing.
Belotti’s contract is running down fast and, with the Italy international reluctant to sign an extension, Torino know, deep down, that they may be forced to do the unthinkable and sell the seventh-most prolific player in their 114-year history.
Tottenham are still very much in the race for Belotti’s signature with Spurs, like Torino, facing up to the heart-wrenching departure of a star striker (Corriere Granata).
But if Jose Mourinho wants to take revenge on the club who sacked him just four weeks ago – and it’s not hard to imagine the new Roma boss sticking an A4 portrait of Daniel Levy on his dartboard – then this is his chance.
Calciomercato reports that Belotti will be play the final game of his goal-laden Torino career this weekend. Roma are in pole position to win the race for his signature too with Tiago Pinto, the club’s impressive new sporting director, confident that a deal can be done for a cut-price £25 million.
Belotti is expected to earn a £60,000-a-week contract in the Italian capital. Mourinho, Calciomercato adds, will be a decisive factor in luring the former Palermo star to Rome.
A real powerhouse of a number nine with rockets in his heels and a rapid-fire machine gun strike rate, Belotti is precisely the sort of striker who tends to thrive in a Mourinho team.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
