Arsenal and Chelsea face having to look elsewhere after top target Torino striker Andrea Belotti insisted that he intends on staying with the Serie A side.
The 23-year-old has established himself as one of the top marksman in Europe with his form so far this season, as he has scored 24 goals in 29 appearances in all competitions for the Granata.
Combined with his impact for Italy, he seemingly has a bright future ahead of him and Torino know his worth having made staggering demands for him in recent months.
However, as reported by Goal.com, Arsenal reportedly made a £56m bid for the Italian international in January and while that was rejected, Chelsea have since joined the race to sign Belotti with the London rivals likely to go head-to-head over his signature.
The problem though is that he is in no rush to leave Turin and why would he be given the progress he’s currently making under Sinisa Mihajlovic.
While a move to the Premier League to join a top club to compete for domestic honours and the Champions League will obviously be an attracting proposal, it sounds as though Belotti isn’t even considering it at this stage of his career.
“Of course I am staying. I want to remain at Torino. In fact, I will stay at Torino next season,” he told Tuttosport, as noted in the report.
“Let the Granata fans know! I am definitely staying.”
With Arsenal still looking to address a key problem in their squad having gone years without a prolific goalscorer leading their line, Chelsea could be in the market for a replacement for Diego Costa, or at the very least depth and competition with Antonio Conte guiding them back to the Champions League next season in all likelihood now as champions of England.