Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton have reportedly made a £39m bid to bring Torino’s Serie A captain Andrea Belotti to the Premier League this summer.
Reported Everton target Andrea Belotti has been likened to Italy great Christian Vieiri with ex-Juventus and Chelsea striker Pierluigi Casiraghi raving about a hard-working centre-forward, speaking to Sky Italia.
In an era dominated by flitting false nines and nippy little goalscorers, Belotti feels like something of a throwback. A classic, old-school frontman, the Torino captain loves nothing more than thundering down the channels, clattering into unwitting defenders and lining up thunderbolt shots from any range and any angle.
The fact that Belotti’s current employers are nicknamed The Bulls feels more than appropriate, given that the Italy international often leaves opposition defences looking like a smashed-up china shop.
Tuttosport claimed over the Bank Holiday weekend that Everton made an initial £39 million offer for the Serie A star, a man Carlo Ancelotti was keen to sign for Napoli last summer.
And if Everton fans are wondering what they could get with Belotti, leave it to Casiraghi to explain.
“Belotti has the characteristics of a real centre-forward, like Roberto Boninsegna or Christian Vieri,” Casiraghi says. “Like me, he has courage and fights for every ball.”
Vieri was one of the most lethal strikers of his generation, scoring goals for fun at Atletico Madrid, Lazio, Inter Milan and for the Italian national team while becoming the world’s most expensive footballer in 1999 when he moved to the San Siro.
And Belotti seems to share Vieri’s barrelling, barnstorming approach to centre-forward play. Given that Everton fans love players who wear their heart on their sleeve and shed blood, sweat and tears for a three-point haul, Belotti feels like a Toffees icon in the making.
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