Chelsea are targeting 23-year-old Torino forward Andrea Belotti as a replacement for want-away star Diego Costa, who has gone AWOL as he looks to secure a move away from Stamford Bridge, according to the Daily Star.
Chelsea, as per the Daily Star, have ordered Costa to come back to England and return to the club in order to train, however it seems very unlikely that Costa is to agree to the club’s demands.
As reported by the Daily Star, due to the ongoing saga between Costa and the club, the Blues are set to turn their attentions to Belotti, as Antonio Conte looks to bring in competition for Alvaro Morata upfront, with the Italian remaining unconvinced over forward Michy Batshuayi.
Belotti, managed an impressive 26 goals in 35 league games for the Serie A side last season, has been constantly linked with the west London club throughout the summer, as per the Daily Star.
Torino are said to be holding out for the £80M they rate Belotti at, and following Chelsea’s opening-day 3-2 defeat to minnows Burnley, a deal could be reached between the two clubs for the services of Belotti, write the Daily Star.
Chelsea boss Conte is eager to seriously bolster his squad before the summer window shuts report the Daily Star, with Southampton’s Virgil Van Dijk, Leicester Danny Drinkwater and Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain emerging as key targets.
Should Chelsea manage to get a deal for Belotti over the line, it’ll be interesting to see whether the Italian will manage to cement a starting place over Spaniard Morata in Antonio Conte’s side this season.