Chelsea boss Antonio Conte reportedly sent a scout out to Florence on Monday night to take a closer look at Torino striker Andrea Belotti.
The Italian international looked set for a miserable outing as with his side 2-0 down, he missed a penalty just past the hour mark.
However, he continued to plug away and came up with two goals in 20 minutes to secure a point for the Granata and according to reports, there were some interested parties in attendance with the sole purpose to keep an eye on the in-form forward.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Chelsea sent a scout out to watch him in action as the Premier League leaders consider making a summer bid.
However, it’s worth remembering that Belotti had a €100m release clause inserted the new contract that he signed in January, as reported by ESPN FC, and so it will take a huge offer to prise him away from Turin.
The 23-year-old took his tally up to 19 goals in 23 Serie A appearances this season, as he continues to establish himself as a top marksman which in turn is unsurprisingly attracting attention from elsewhere.
Chelsea haven’t been the only club to be linked with a move, but provided that Conte did indeed instruct a scout to travel out to Italy on Monday night, this is the clearest indication yet that the Italian tactician is keen to take his compatriot to Stamford Bridge in the summer.
What that means for Diego Costa’s future remains to be seen as ultimately Belotti would be competing for the exact same role in the team, but that release clause could be enough to put off the top clubs in Europe with Torino in a strong position to hold out for as much as they can squeeze out of an interested party.
Meanwhile, the Metro claim that Arsenal also sent a scout out to the same game with the purpose of monitoring Belotti specifically, and so it appears as though there could be a London rivalry for the signing of the talented Italian.