Skip to main content

Torino President Claims €100m Is 'Too Low' for Belotti But Admits He Can't Prevent Release Clause

  • Author:
  • Publish date:

Torino president Urbano Cairo has insisted he will do everything he can to keep striking sensation Andrea Belotti at the club this summer, amid interest from big-spending Serie A rivals AC Milan.

Cairo seemed to rule out the possibility of the 23-year old striker moving to another Italian club, as reported by ESPN, but admitted a release clause of €100m makes him powerless to resist offers from overseas. 

"[Belotti] is an extremely important player for us and we want to keep him," he said.

597a5ec22ee40f6549000004.jpg

Whilst strongly denying any potential departure is imminent, Cairo conceded that a foreign bid that met the clause would put the decision out of the club's hands.

"There is a clause that would force me to lose possession of the player and, if somebody were to come from abroad and pay it, then the ball would move into Belotti's court," he added.

Belotti dominated Serie A this past season. In 35 league appearances, he scored 26 goals to go with eight assists. This helped push Torino to an impressive ninth-placed finish, three places higher than in 2015/2016.

597a5ef62b3a7ee5e9000001.jpg

The Italian striker's impressive form has seen him attract interest from some of Europe's top clubs. It has also convinced Cairo that his star asset - who has four years remaining on his contract - may be worth far more than his current release clause:

"Seeing the numbers doing the rounds, like €222m for Neymar or €180m for [Kylian] Mbappe, then Belotti has done incredible things in a league like the Italian one and it makes you think that €100m is the right price, or perhaps that it is too low."

AC Milan general manager Marco Fassone responded to the statement with understanding

"Belotti is a Torino player and president Cairo has every right to decide whether he wants to sell his player or not," he conceded.

"We respect that and if they decide that the player has to stay at Torino, he will stay at Torino."