AC Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso was full of praise when discussing Torino striker and Rossoneri transfer target Andrea Belotti on Tuesday.
As noted by Goal.com, the 24-year-old has reportedly long been on the Milan transfer radar as they failed to prise him away from Turin last summer.
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That came after Belotti enjoyed a stellar campaign last year, scoring 28 goals and providing eight assists in 38 appearances.
Injuries have been problematic for the Italian international this season, as he’s been limited to 12 goals in 29 outings, but he still remains one of the most prolific and exciting forwards in Serie A.
Speculation linking him with a move to the San Siro is one thing, but Gattuso openly discussing him at his press conference on Tuesday is another, as he is clearly a fan and is seemingly making no real secret of his desire to potentially work with his compatriot at some stage in the future.
“I’ve always said he’s the one who surprised me most after Sheva,” Gattuso said, as noted by La Gazzetta dello Sport. “He went through a bad period, but when he’s fit he’s the complete striker. I’ve always liked him, he’s been very good in recent seasons.
“He’s a nice lad too, and that’s something I’ve always really appreciated.”
That’s quite the high praise making the link with Shevchenko, with the former Ukrainian international bagging 175 goals in 322 appearances for Milan in a glittering spell which brought him a Serie A title and the Champions League among other trophies and countless individual accolades.
Belotti has some way to go to reach that level, but it remains to be seen whether or not he gets the chance to do so with Milan in the future.
With Nikola Kalinic failing to fire this season along with Andre Silva’s struggles and an over-reliance on youth product Patrick Cutrone, Milan are arguably in real need of addressing their issues in attack still.
Having scored just 43 goals in 32 league games, the lowest tally of the top 10 sides, Belotti could be a potential solution to add a real threat in the final third.