da doce： Tottenham Hotspur have their sights set on signing Andrea Belotti this summer amid fresh reports from Italy this week…
What’s the word?
da dobrowin： According to Calciomercato, Spurs are among the clubs interested in the Torino captain, and with him entering the final year of his contract next season, the Serie A outfit will be under pressure to cash in while they still can.
It is claimed that he will not be lacking offers as fellow Italian outfits AS Roma and AC Milan, as well as Premier League side Manchester United, are keen on him. The 27-year-old reportedly wants a move to a bigger club with more ambition, as he does not want to be regularly involved in a relegation battle in Turin.
Bye-bye Kane?
You’d imagine that moving for a player of Belotti’s calibre will surely spell trouble for Spurs’ chances of keeping hold of their own talisman in Harry Kane.
His immediate future in north London was once again in the spotlight this week after he reaffirmed his desire to win trophies, something which may not be possible at Spurs after they choked in another final, losing to Man City in the Carabao Cup showpiece last Sunday.
Speaking to Sky Sports after being named as the Premier League player of the year at the London Football Awards, the 27-year-old England skipper said (via The Guardian):
“Individual awards are great, they are fantastic achievements. When I look back at the end of my career, these are the things I will go over and take in more but the goal right now as a player is to win team trophies. I want to be winning the biggest prizes there is to offer and we are not quite doing that.”
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Earlier this month, The Independent’s Miguel Delaney reported that Paris Saint-Germain and both Manchester clubs would battle in a bid to secure his signature from Spurs, whilst Sky Sports believe that Kane will ask to leave Spurs if they do not qualify for the Champions League – a very likely prospect at this stage.
At a similar age to Kane, 27-year-old Belotti won’t want to come to north London to sit behind another striker. He’ll want to be the main man as he’s in the prime of his career, and he has every reason to demand as such given his record and attitude.
The £36m-rated marksman has bagged 12 goals this term, making it six straight seasons in which he has hit ten or more in the Italian top-flight, with a career-best of 26 coming during 2016/17, as per Transfermarkt.
Current Spurs goalkeeper Joe Hart enjoyed a stint with Belotti at Torino and has waxed lyrical over his ability, as he told Gianluca Di Marzio: “Andrea is similar to all the great strikers, English and not. It’s hard to compare him to someone else because he’s special. He’s Belotti and that’s it. He has instinct for goals, personality and he’s a team player: he’s always focused on his team and plays hard to help it.”
Whilst the 32-cap Italy international could also help fill that leadership void Kane would leave behind should he depart. “He’s a real captain,” explained Il Toro president Urbano Cairo.
All in all, any move for Belotti would surely spell the end for Kane at Spurs, but as hard as the England captain would be to replace, the Torino frontman seems the perfect candidate to do so.
AND in other news, Levy could seal Spurs their next Dembele in bargain swoop for “explosive” 22 y/o beast…