Even this long after the summer transfer window closed, new information regarding the activity of Premier League clubs is filtering through in the European press.
With a striker the main priority for a lot of teams, players became targets for multiple clubs at the same time, with the likes of Alexandre Lacazette being chased by both West Ham and Arsenal, for example.
Well, it would appear the two London clubs were also after the same target in Italy, one who is making a name for himself this season with Torino.
Andrea Belotti, who moved from Palermo to Joe Hart’s new club in 2015, has scored eight goals in 11 appearances for the Serie A side so far this season, as well as picking up four assists.
This ability to find the back of the net, already demonstrated a bit last season, is what has caught the attention of many clubs and earned him a regular call-up to the Italian national team.
Last month, we covered an article in Tuttosport claiming that West Ham had offered €30m for the 22-year-old, and now it appears, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, that Arsenal were also very keen on the young striker.
The Italian newspaper, in their Monday edition, claim that Arsène Wenger’s side were ‘ready to spend €35m’ on Belotti, but their advances were met with a stern ‘no’ from Torino.
The Serie A club are said to value the youngster ‘well beyond’ €40m, with Gazzetta estimating his value standing at around €60m in today’s market, making him a very difficult target for anyone interested.
Considering Torino’s form at the moment, it seems very unlikely that a January move would ever take place, meaning any club’s best chances will come next summer.
