Tottenham target’s contract talks have reportedly stalled, Spurs would pay £40m in 2021

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Andrea Belotti’s contract talks have stalled at Torino with Tottenham and Everton’s summer target facing an uncertain future in Serie A, according to Calciomercato.

At the age of 26 and fast approaching his peak, perhaps one of the most underrated centre-forwards in European football feels the time is right to end his long association with Juventus’s underachieving neighbours.

Torino only narrowly avoided relegation to Serie B last season and, while loyalty is a trait seldom-seen in the modern game, Belotti can certainly aim a lot higher.

Perhaps he knows it too.

Calciomercato reports that Torino had hoped to tie their prolific striker down to a new contract. But talks have stalled, with just two years left on his current deal.

Belotti’s stunning start to the season (five goals and one assist in four Serie A games) is destined to catch the eye of clubs far higher up the footballing food chain than Torino.

Tottenham showed an interest this year, according to Torino’s own sporting director Davide Vagnati.

The Times even suggested that Spurs were willing to pay £40 million in the summer of 2021, by which time Carlos Vinicius’s loan spell from Benfica would have come to an end and Jose Mourinho may be in need of another number nine.

Tuttomercatoweb also linked Everton with the Italy international.

And while Dominic Calvert-Lewin has begun the season with a glut of goals, the fact that Cenk Tosun remains the only other centre-forward in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad speaks volumes about a lack of attacking depth.