Aubameyang, Belotti and Morata: Where each available striker should go based on their style and statistics

There are three big strikers left on the transfer market this summer.

Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata, Torino’s Andrea Belotti and Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are the three marquee forwards still to move. Each brings something unique in terms of skill-set, which means that there are a myriad of clubs that want to recruit them.

But which would suit them best? Because each player has a unique way of playing, and as most clubs have unique needs of their strikers, what we’re left with is actually an interesting situation where you can dovetail a certain striker with a certain club to create a perfect match.

Alvaro Morata

Age: 24

Current club: Real Madrid

Style of play: An all-around muscular centre-forward. Supreme in the air and skilled enough to play on the wing. A big game monster.

Ideal destination: Milan

Obviously Alvaro Morata promised Juventus fans that he’d not play for another club in Italy, but Leonardo Bonucci has left Juve for Milan so this wouldn’t be much of a problem by comparison. Reports in Italy have Milan swooping in with a €70m bid for the Spanish striker, and with Morata growing increasingly restless at Real Madrid there’s a chance the move could happen.

It would be an ideal fit, too. Morata has already shown that he has all the all-around muscular game to lead the line and provide a great target in attack. With him up-front, Vincenzo Montella could structure his Milan side around the Spaniard, giving fellow new signing André Silva more freedom to make deadly runs in behind and focus on the scoring.

This would also alleviate Morata of the pressure to be his sides’s main goalscorer. A role he’s never played, although he can score efficiently (only Leo Messi can top his 1.01 goals per-90 minutes in La Liga last season). The move would also give him a platform to score in big games, which is his calling card. With Morata on board, Milan would be genuine contenders for both Serie A and the Europa League.

Andrea Belotti

Age: 23

Current club: Torino

Style of play: A prototypical no. 9; can score with either foot or his head. Leads the line with aplomb. Able to drift and link with his team-mates.

Ideal destination: Chelsea

Torino’s broad-shouldered striker plays close to the ground, which is ironic given how good he is in the air. Andrea Belotti is, much like Diego Costa, a classic no. 9. “I thought that considering the type of qualities Costa has, that Belotti was the perfect fit,” said club legend Gianfranco Zola.

He has the physical power to handle himself in the Premier League and the varied scoring profile to bundle in any of the chances Chelsea will create for him. Belotti is the only player in Serie A to score more than five goals with each body part (5 left-foot, 11 right-foot, 10 head).

He can bang it in any way you like, and he is also able to drift into channels and link with his team-mates (his 55 chances created last season is just three less than the much vaunted Paulo Dybala). This will be a key skill for Chelsea as the Blues look to maximise the impact of Eden Hazard in the final third. Belotti’s absence from Torino’s kit launch only lends credence to the idea that they’re willing to sell if their asing price (£87m) is met. Chelsea have the money and the need.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Age: 28

Current club: Borussia Dortmund

Style of play: Lightning fast runs into channels, decent cutbacks and plenty of simple finishes.

Ideal destination: Real Madrid

With Alvaro Morata sold to Milan, Real Madrid would once again find themselves in need of another striker. They can’t head into a season with just Karim Benzema on the books. And even if Cristiano Ronaldo stays, he’s 32 and is in need of rotation to keep him fully fit for the key months of the season.

Enter noted Real Madrid fan Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Before Kylian Mbappé emerged and stole all our hearts, Aubameyang to Real Madrid this summer seemed nailed on. But now it’s become more of a doubt, which is bizarre because it’s such a good fit.

Last season Cristiano Ronaldo had 32 big chances and scored 16 goals from them. A conversion rate of exactly 50%. Well in the Bundesliga last season, Aubameyang had 50 big chances and scored 25 goals from them; 50% again! Most of his goals were him using his mind-boggling pace to break into space and get an easy finish. That’s Cristiano Ronaldo 101 and Aubameyang would be a wonderful back-up, partner and eventual replacement to the precision Portuguese goal machine.