'Never in life' would Torino sell Andrea Belotti to Juventus, insists president

Martin Macdonald

• 9 Jun 2021 13:40 BST

Torino president Urbano Cairo says there is no way he will ever sanction the sale of star centre-forward Andrea Belotti to Juventus.

Belotti remains one of the club's most important players and has been over the last several seasons.

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Though his goalscoring went down compared to the previous couple of campaigns in the 2020/21 season, his 13 goals and six assists were still vital in Torino avoiding relegation, even if his better form came in the first half of the campaign.

The Italian has been with Torino for six years now, and there is a general feeling he has outgrown the club.

Juventus are one of the clubs reportedly interested in a summer swoop, though Atletico Madrid have also made their interest known not just this year but in previous seasons too.

If Torino are to sell Belotti, it will unlikely be to the Bianconeri, though, due to their status as Il Toro's fierce city rivals.

"Juventus and Belotti? I have not had any kind of approach with Juventus in this regard," Cairo told Tuttosport.

"And, even if they ask me, never in life. Juve, we're not joking”.

Busy summer at Juventus?

It is clear that Juventus are in the market for a new centre-forward this summer, as they previously offered Sergio Aguero a lucrative contract to lure him to Serie A as a free agent before the Argentine joined Barcelona.

There has also been rumours this wee about a potential move for his former Manchester City team-mate Gabriel Jesus.

Their pursuit of a new striker raises questions potentially about the future of both Alvaro Morata and Cristiano Ronaldo.

At the moment, Juve have the option to sign Morata permanently from Real Madrid for €45 million. What will likely happen, according to Calciomercato, is that the Italian giants will take him on loan for another season for a fee of €10m.

As for Ronaldo, he is reportedly unsettled at the club and has been linked with a return to Manchester United or Real Madrid or possibly a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Any dealings in the transfer market for Juventus will need to service the reduction of their outgoings though as the club is currently riddled with debt.