Chelsea hold major advantage over Man Utd in £84m pursuit of prolific ace

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Chelsea reportedly have the edge in the race to sign Torino striker Andrea Belotti, as offering Champions League football could be pivotal.

The 23-year-old has been in stunning form this season, bagging 27 goals in 34 appearances in all competitions, while he’s also broken into the Italy squad and looks set to lead the line for the Azzurri at the World Cup next summer.

As reported by The Daily Star, both Chelsea and Man Utd have been linked with making a big-money swoop for the him, as Torino inserted a €100m release clause into his contract when he signed a new deal in December.

While he has insisted that the price-tag doesn’t bother him, he hinted that he wants Champions League football, and that could be decisive this summer if Chelsea and United were set to go head-to-head to prise him away from Turin.

“The World Cup is the dream for any player, just like the Champions League,” Belotti told Sky Sport Italia.

“I never stopped to think about the weight of that €100m tag, because I always thought I should prove my worth on the pitch and those performances would ultimately set my value.”

With Chelsea continuing to march on towards the Premier League title this season, Antonio Conte is set to take them back to Europe’s premier competition.

In contrast, United continue to stumble in the league, although they also have a possible route back to the Champions League by winning the Europa League this season as they look ahead to their semi-final clash with Celta Vigo this month.

Should Jose Mourinho’s side fail to make it though, that could hand a significant advantage to Chelsea, provided that both clubs are willing to splash out the hefty fee required to sign Belotti, who has shown this season that he’s ready to be one of the top marksman in Europe.

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