Liverpool are set to make a £19.5 million bid for Italian striker Andrea Belotti according to reports from CalcioMercatoWeb. The 22-year-old striker currently plays for Torino but has already scored five goals in five Serie A games this season.
Football Italia and The Sun confirm that Belotti is also a target for Arsenal but the Reds might be outbidding the Gunners if they do go ahead with their £19.5 million offer. The Premier League club have been impressed with the Italian striker and the player also seems to be in demand after having made his appearance for the national side.
The 22-year-old ended up scoring for Italy in the game against Macedonia which the side won 3-2. The contract at the club for Belotti runs up to 2020, and it seems that Jurgen Klopp has recognised the talent of the player and wants to wrap up the deal fast.
Options galore for Liverpool
Surprisingly Belotti started his career as a winger and midfielder but he was pushed up the field later in his career. The Italian does not like to lead the line but prefers playing just behind the main striker. Many have called him a centre-forward but the youngster can play across the line and that could be a reason why Klopp and many other clubs want to sign him.
Belotti is great at finishing and that is his best ability. He is calm and composed in front of goal though 17 goals in 40 appearances for Torino isn’t the best record for any striker. One of his other facets that could have been the reason why Jurgen Klopp wants to sign him up is due to the fact that Belotti doesn’t mind doing a lot of defending.
Just like the team that Liverpool have put out at the moment, the Italian defends from the front. This is something that would work in favour of the Liverpool side and Klopp knows it.
What about the future of the other strikers?
While signing Belotti would certainly give Liverpool another hard worker in front of the pitch, it would also question the future of Daniel Sturridge. The former Chelsea and Manchester City striker is not a Klopp kind of forward and something like this could mean the end of the Englishman.
Liverpool have two good and young strikers on their side already. Divock Origi is the first option to come off the bench while Danny Ings could be a great striker for the future as well. Coming back to Belotti, it does seem a little weird that Klopp is being linked with the player.
Jurgen Klopp has setup some kind of wall and no news regarding new players comes out of Liverpool these days. This could be just some tabloid babble going on and it looks highly unlikely that Belotti will come in the winter window.