Andrea Belotti could potentially leave Serie A outfit Torino for a big money move for the Premier League with West Ham United.
About two years ago, Andrea Belotti appeared to be blossoming into one of Europe’s most feared centre-forwards.
‘The Rooster’ simply couldn’t stop scoring, hitting the back of the net at a remarkable rate for Torino while establishing himself in the Italy national team too.
Back in 2016/17, the records kept tumbling with Belotti scoring the quickest Serie A hat-trick since 2000 before becoming the first player since the legendary Andriy Shevchenko to score more than 24 goals in a single season before the age 24.
As a result, Torino were determined to avoid losing their rapid-fire goalscorer on the cheap. According to Football Italia, I Granata tied Belotti down to a new contract in December 2016, complete with a release clause of £88 million – which then would have made him the most expensive player in world football.
Since then, however, Belotti has struggled to meet such exalted expectations – which should be a warning for West Ham United as they reportedly plot a January move for the former Palermo front man.
According to CuoreToro, The Hammers will offer around £45 million once Marko Arnautovic seals his money-spinning move to China and swells the coffers.
But there is a reason why Belotti is no longer a gossip column regular. He hit just 10 league goals in 32 games last season and a tally of seven in 19 this is far from outstanding either.
Belotti has only scored two goals in his last 15 matches for Italy too. So are West Ham looking to sign a striker in decline – or an outstanding talent who just needs a change of scene to prove that he’s still worth £88 million?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
