A striker who was once one of European football's hottest goalscoring properties has seen his stock plummet in recent years
Andrea Belotti at Benfica
Andrea Belotti has endured a difficult few years(Image: Getty)
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At the peak of his powers, Italy international Andrea Belotti was one of the world's most in-demand strikers. These days, though, the former Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea target is available for free.
Belotti was a relatively late bloomer, only making his Serie A debut at the age of 20 with Palermo. He left for Torino in 2015, and it was there that he made a name for himself.
He scored a career-best 26 Serie A goals in 2016/17, narrowly missing out on the Capocannoniere award to Edin Dzeko. He signed a contract extension midway through that season, with Torino including a €100m (£87m) release clause.
That clause was only applicable to clubs outside Italy. However, club president Urbano Cairo publicly admitted his fears that it might not be high enough to stave off Premier League interest, as United, Arsenal and Chelsea, among others, were sniffing around.
"When I included a €100million release clause in Belotti's contract somebody thought it was an excessive fee, now they think it's not enough," Cairo told Tuttosport in 2017. "I think nobody will come here to trigger his release clause and it would be better for him to stay for one more season at Torino.
Andrea Belotti celebrating a Torino goal
Belotti's Torino form attracted plenty of suitors(Image: Getty)
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"I've read he's happy here and I'll need to talk to him. He can still improve, play one more season for us, play the [2018] World Cup and then we'll see."
Belotti scored four times in World Cup qualifying but drew a blank as the Azzurri lost a play-off against Sweden to miss out on the tournament. Torino didn't have to worry about anyone meeting his release clause, though, with the striker himself suggesting he wasn't worth that much.
"To be honest, no [I don't feel I am worth it]," Belotti told Mediaset in April 2017. "But given the way the transfer market has developed, increasingly ridiculous sums are being spent. The cost of players has gone up far too much."
But his focus wasn't dented. He hit double figures in each of his first six Torino seasons and was part of the Italy squad which won Euro 2020. When he left his club in 2022, he did so with exactly 100 league goals under his belt.
Things have been much tougher in the years since. He failed to score a single league goal in his first season at Roma and has just 22 goals across more than 140 games in all competitions for four different clubs in Italy and Portugal.
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Now 32, he spent last season at Cagliari but was limited to eight appearances after a serious knee injury. According to reports in Italy, he was poised to rejoin the Sardinian club only to fail a medical.
His international career is very much in the rear-view window, with no caps since June 2022. That £87m release clause feels like a distant memory.
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