English Giants Dealt A Huge Blow In Their Andrea Belotti Pursuit
REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo
If reports in England are to be believed, Manchester United have been dealt a blow in the race to sign Torino’s Andrea Belotti, with the Serie A club unwilling to accept an offer lower than the striker’s £84m buy-out clause.
The Italian club remained firm on not letting the 23-year-old leave for a price below his mammoth release clause, and Torino’s president Urbano Cairo has already warned United that he is not willing to lose his prized asset without a fight.
Cairo was recently quoted as saying: “I care about Belotti and I’m keeping hold of him. He has a contract with Torino until 2021. I would only sell him for €100m [£88m], but even then he can refuse.
“The most important thing is what he wants, regardless of the release clause, and I believe he wants to stay. We are trying to build a best possible team at Torino.”
Belotti moved to Turin from Palermo in August 2015 for £6m, and since then, he has established himself as one of Europe’s finest strikers. In the 2016-17 season, the Italian netted 26 goals, and considering his remarkable goal scoring exploits, Manchester United have been linked with him for many months.
The Red Devils’ pursuit of long-term target Antoine Griezmann has already been dealt a blow following Atletico Madrid’s transfer embargo until January.
And now, it seems like Belotti’s transfer could also hit a snag, after reports in M.E.N confirmed that the club is unwilling to pay the staggering price, which is priced at £88 million, and has increased to £100 million due to recent fall in the pound.
Even if Manchester United stay out of contention in the race to sign Belotti, the talented striker shouldn’t be short of other offers this summer, with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and AC Milan all interested in his services.
Written by Pragadeesh Shanmugam 
United fan since Edwin Van der Sar denied Nicolas Anelka’s penalty to earn a dramatic Euro glory. Firmly believes that Lionel Messi deserves to win the Ballon d’Or until he plays this sport. One time writer for GiveMeSport and Roar. A regular contributor to Sportskeeda and BlameFootball.