5 lesser known strikers available for a reasonable fee
The Euros have finished and clubs will immediately focus on strengthening their teams ahead of their new season. There’s already been a huge buzz of transfer activity, some major transfers have already gone through with teams determined to complete their squads.
For clubs on the lookout for quality forwards, it’s not an easy market to deal in by any means. Michy Batshuayi signed for Chelsea for a fee rumoured to be around €40 million and Romelu Lukaku, another Belgian striker targeted by several clubs isn’t said to be available for anything less than €60 million. Both of them are certainly talented goalscorers but it’s clear that those fees are massive amounts that clubs are having to shell out in today’s market.
Increased revenues have played a big role of course, but the growing powers of intermediaries and agents, more widespread marketing have also played a role. There was a time when €46 million bought you Luis Ronaldo, the best forward and player in the world, but now all it gets you is a promising 22-year-old with one 20 plus goals season in a league of some repute. Even Alvaro Morata, while one of the most promising forwards in the world, has a massive price tag at €60 million, which is rather steep.
In this piece, we’ll look at forwards who have done enough to show they’re capable of taking the goalscoring burden at the top level, and are available for reasonable fees, at least for the time being!
#1 Andrea Belotti (Torino)
The 22-year-old Italian striker has been on the radar of Italy’s finest clubs for a while. Though he hasn’t convinced enough to make the big clubs swoop in for him yet, they’ve kept a close eye on the talented forward.
He scored 11 goals in 32 Serie A appearances for a team that often struggled in the division and eventually finished 12th. Belotti has shown tremendous improvement year on year, he’s getting better at his finishing, and already has fine technique and strength to play in the center forward role. He has 9 goals in 18 appearances for the Italy U21 side and should get a national
He has 9 goals in 18 appearances for the Italy U21 side and should get a national call-up soon. He was signed by Torino from Palermo a year ago for a fee of €7.5 million and should be available for double that amount or less.