Gianfranco Zola: 'Andrea Belotti is perfect fit for Chelsea'

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 12 July 2017

Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola believes that Torino striker Andrea Belotti would be a "perfect" replacement for Diego Costa at Stamford Bridge.

Former Chelsea attacker Gianfranco Zola has claimed that Torino striker Andrea Belotti would be a "perfect fit" for the Premier League champions.

Chelsea are in the market for a new striker after manager Antonio Conte told Diego Costa that he has no future at the club, but they suffered a setback in their transfer plans when Romelu Lukaku opted for a move to Manchester United.

The Blues have since turned their attention to Real Madrid's Alvaro Morata, but Zola believes that Belotti would be a more natural replacement for Costa.

"To be honest, I was thinking Chelsea should go for Andrea Belotti in Italy. I thought that considering the type of qualities Costa has, that Belotti was the perfect fit," he told talkSPORT.

"Morata is a little bit different, he's more of a finesse player. He hasn't got the presence of a player like Costa in the box. He's a different player, he brings other qualities.

"Costa was very influential last season, he's a type of player who fits with the style of football at Chelsea, and [finding a like-for-like replacement] will be the key for Chelsea."

Belotti, who scored 32 goals for club and country last season, has a minimum release clause of €100m (£89m) in his contract.