Belotti's star continues to rise with eight-minute hat-trick for Torino
It was another memorable afternoon for Andrea Belotti as he scored a quickfire hat-trick in Torino's Serie A win over Palermo.
Andrea Belotti's star continued to rise as he scored an eight-minute hat-trick in Torino's 3-1 Serie A victory over the striker's former club Palermo.
Belotti, who has been linked with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Real Madrid, now has 22 Serie A goals this season, seeing him move three ahead of Edin Dzeko in the race for the Capocannoniere, the title awarded to the top scorer in each Italian top flight season.
€150 million price tag
He was so good, in fact, that Torino president Urbano Cairo plased a price tag on him equal to the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
"If I had to insert a figure in his contract right now I would go for €150 million," Cairo told Sky Sport.
"He scored three more crazy goals, one even better than the other.
"We will have to wait and see whether a team is willing to pay €100 million. I hope not because I want to keep him here. We are just enjoying him and his goals for now."
Belotti comes to life
Torino were staring down the barrel of defeat at Stadio Olimpico when Andrea Rispoli put the relegation-threatened visitors ahead in the 30th minute.
That is how it stayed until deep in the second half, before Belotti came to the fore to tear his former employers apart, scoring in the 73rd, 76th and 81st minutes to secure Torino the three points.
Palermo goalkeeper Josip Posavec was at fault for Belotti's first, flapping at a set-piece and allowing the Italy international to nod into the open goal.
His second was a special effort, though, volleying first time after watching Adem Ljajic's free-kick over his shoulder, before he headed in a third with nine minutes to go after the visitors had seen Norbert Balogh sent off.
His return is the most by a Torino player in a single Serie A season since Benjamin Santos scored 27 in 1950.