Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 7y

Torino's Mihajlovic wants Belotti future resolved, 'would sign Balotelli'

Torino coach Sinisa Mihajlovic says his club's summer transfer plans hinge on whether Andrea Belotti is sold or not, and he is interested in the opportunity to coach Mario Balotelli again.

Belotti is being linked with a move to AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain or Manchester United although Torino president Urbano Cairo has insisted that no offer or enquiry has yet been received for a player who has a €100 million release clause in his contract, valid only for clubs from abroad.

Mihajlovic says he would like to sign a new striker this summer, but does not know if it will be to replace or play alongside Belotti.

"We need a forward, maybe even two," the Serbian coach told Sky Sport Italia. "It all depends on Belotti. We need to know his future as soon as possible."

Balotelli may be close to signing a new two-year deal with French club Nice, but Mihajlovic says he would welcome the opportunity to coach him again.

"I signed him for Milan and I would sign him again now for Torino, why not?" he said.

While at Milan, Mihajlovic also gave Gianluigi Donnarumma his first-team debut, making him his No. 1 when he was just 16. Almost 20 months later, the goalkeeper now seems set to leave Milan after refusing to sign a new contract, but Mihajlovic believes he is making a mistake.

"I don't know what happened in negotiations and I don't like poking my nose into other people's business, but Gigio is a great player, he's still only 18 and I like him dearly," Mihajlovic said. "He still has to grow to become a champion and it could have helped him to do that in a club where everybody loves him.

"There's no need to run. He's still got 20 years ahead of him. If I were Gigio, I would have stayed at Milan for a bit longer, both out of recognition for what they have done for him and to help him grow. I think Milan offered him a lucrative renewal too.

"Now a difficult situation has been created and he has half of Italy against him. All this can do is slow down his progress, even if he does have a very strong character. The whole situation should have been dealt with much better by both sides."

^ Back to Top ^