Transfer Centre

Torino boss Sinisa Mihajlovic holding out for big Andrea Belotti fee

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 03 July 2017

Sinisa Mihajlovic hopes to see Andrea Belotti remain at Torino next season as his goals cannot be replaced, but concedes he will be sold if a mammoth offer is tabled.

Torino manager Sinisa Mihajlovic has admitted that the club are waiting for "a flood of money" to be handed over before offloading star forward Andrea Belotti.

The 23-year-old dominated the column inches earlier in the summer transfer window following an impressive campaign in Italian football last term, netting 28 goals in all competitions and setting up a further seven.

Manchester United showed a strong interest in the Italy international, but they are thought to have withdrawn any interest once quoted a figure of £87m, while AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain are yet to make a formal approach.

Mihajlovic recently admitted that he wants Belotti's future resolved soon, though the former Palermo ace will only be allowed to leave if his valuation is met.

"Will he stay? I hope so and so does [President Urbano] Cairo, who isn't thinking of selling him," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "Then there's the €100m release clause. If someone pays it then a flood of money will arrive, but then we'd have to change the way we play.

"It's not just about replacing Belotti, it's worse than that. It's hard to find someone else who pulls their teammates forward and scores 26 goals. What I always say to him – and what I told [Christian] Vieri – is don't lose your head; sacrifice, keep improving, don't lose than hunger that made you the player you've been recently."

United have reportedly made signing Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid their top priority for the summer, having released free agent Zlatan Ibrahimovic last month.