Chelsea set to swoop for Belotti

Irrespective of who is in charge at Stamford Bridge next season, Chelsea are crying out for a striker who is capable of making more of an impact than Alvaro Morata, and whose legs are younger than those of Olivier Giroud.

Although the recent history of the club, the sort of wages that they are prepared to pay and their West London location all serve to make the Blues an attractive proposition, some potential signings could well be put off by the lack of Champions League football in 2018/19.

One man for whom that shouldn’t be a problem given that he is currently plying his trade with Torino is Italian international centre-forward Andrea Belotti, a player who has continually been linked with a switch to Chelsea.

A scorer of 48 goals across the last three Serie A campaigns for the mid-table outfit, the 24-year-old was at his most electric during the 2016/17 season, actually outscoring his cross-city rival at Juventus Gonzalo Higuain.

Although 2017/18 was a disappointment by comparison, the powerful centre-forward still hit double figures in the top-flight scoring charts, as well as helping his side to average an extra 0.5 goals per game and an extra 0.5 points per game when he featured.

Extremely potent in the air, netting ten of his 26 Serie A goals in 2016/17 in this fashion, the Torino striker is adept at holding the ball up and bringing others into play, something that the likes of Didier Drogba and Diego Costa did brilliantly during their time at Stamford Bridge.

It would be fair to say that Morata’s days as a Chelsea player appear to be numbered, so the Blues need to invest in someone who can lead the line for them for years to come, and Belotti certainly seems to possess the attributes needed to do that job.