Andrea Belotti has reportedly turned down a new contract at Torino as part of his efforts to secure a move to Milan at the end of the season. As reported by Tuttosport, the Italian striker has laid his eyes on a move to the San Siro amid growing interest from the Premier League.
Belotti has entered the final year of his contract at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino and has already made it abundantly clear he doesn’t want to extend. The Granata supremo Urbano Cairo has recently confirmed the forward’s desire to leave Turin, insisting the captain knocked back a lucrative contract offer.
“He hasn’t signed, and he probably doesn’t want to sign,” he said. “I made an offer that went beyond my capabilities, but I can’t force him to do anything. I don’t think he wants to sign.“
Though Liverpool and West Ham United have lately set their sights on the 27-year-old striker, the player reportedly prefers to remain in his homeland, namely with Milan. Belotti’s affection for the Rossoneri is well documented, while the 2020/21 Serie A runners-up appreciate the ex-Palermo’s qualities.
Belotti started the new season with a bang, scoring as a late substitute in Torino’s 2-1 home defeat to Atalanta on the opening Serie A weekend. However, he has spent the last four league fixtures on the sidelines due to tendon injury following his side’s meeting with Fiorentina on Matchday 2.
Despite enduring an injury-riddled start to the season, Belotti remains one of the fiercest strikers in Italy’s top-flight. Though Torino had a thoroughly disappointing 2020/21 campaign, the Italy international clocked up 13 goals and seven assists in 35 Serie A outings to help his team avoid relegation.
Meanwhile, Milan are on the lookout for a new striker to lead the line in the post-Zlatan Ibrahimovic era. The Swede, who turned 40 last week, could call time on his illustrious career come the summer of 2022, which would leave a sizeable gap up top. The Rossoneri landed Olivier Giroud from Chelsea in the summer, but the 34-year-old Frenchman is not exactly a long-term alternative.