West Ham are hoping to win the race for Raoul Bellanova
Manchester United and Aston Villa could both miss out on the signing of Serie A star Raoul Bellanova, as West Ham United have reportedly made him a ‘top’ summer target.
Bellanova is a 23-year-old right wing-back who came through the AC Milan academy before spending time at clubs such as Bordeaux, Atalanta, Cagliari and Inter Milan. Last summer, he finally settled after several loan spells by swapping Cagliari for Torino in a permanent deal worth €7million.
That move has proven to be a masterstroke from Torino. Bellanova has established himself as a vital player in their first team, registering one goal and five assists from 28 league games so far.
Bellanova has been particularly effective since the start of 2024, having registered his first goal for Torino against Lecce on February 16 while also managing assists against Cagliari, Sassuolo and Roma in recent months.
Bellanova’s impressive performances have seen him force his way into the Italy national team, as he has recently earned his first call-up.
The wide man is also emerging as a target for some major clubs. On February 29, both Man Utd and Aston Villa were tipped to submit bids for him.
Man Utd were backed to brutally sell Aaron Wan-Bissaka in order to make room for Bellanova in their squad.
But Man Utd and Villa are now at risk of missing out on the uncapped Italian. As per Tuttosport, West Ham have cropped up as serious contenders to complete a deal.
West Ham make Bellanova ‘top’ summer objective
Bellanova ‘stands out at the top’ of West Ham’s list of summer targets, which means it is highly likely the Irons will launch an offer for him in the near future.
Torino are aware of the growing interest in their player and are willing to sell, but only if they make a decent profit. They have initially set his price tag at €25m (£21.5m), though that could rise if he manages to feature at the Euros and performs well.
West Ham will happily match that provisional sum as they definitely need to capture a new right-back.
As things stand, current options Vladimir Coufal and Ben Johnson are both due to become free agents when their contracts expire this summer.
West Ham have the option to extend Coufal’s terms until 2025 and are likely to activate this. Johnson, however, is being pursued by London rivals Crystal Palace.
Should Johnson make the switch to Selhurst Park, then there would be an obvious hole for Bellanova to fill in David Moyes’ squad.
Of course, there is also uncertainty over whether Moyes will remain as manager beyond the end of the campaign. The Scot has revealed he has been offered a new contract, though he will wait until the summer before making a final decision on his next step.
While Moyes has led West Ham into Europe and to Europa Conference League glory, some of the club’s fans feel they could get a better coach in charge.
