Andrea Belotti will only leave Torino if his £86.7m release clause is matched says his agent

Arsenal will have to pay £86.7m if they want to sign Torino's Andrea Belotti, according to the forward's agent. The Gunners reportedly submitted a £56m deal for 'The Rooster' last week - the club have since denied the claims - but his representative Sergio Lancini hinted that Arsene Wenger's men would need to exercise the Italian's release clause if they are harbouring any serious ambitions of bringing him to The Emirates Stadium.

"Many clubs are interested", Lancini told Goal. "€65million is not enough. His clause is €100million. That's all I can say at the moment".

Belotti established himself at Torino last season but has really begun to make a name for himself in the current campaign. The young Italian has scored 13 times and provided three assists in just 16 starts for Il Toro as they strive to achieve European qualification.

The 23-year-old, who was rewarded with a bumper new deal by Torino just last month, has previously been linked with a host of Premier League clubs as well as Arsenal. Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton were all rumoured to be interested in the striker over the last few months. Belotti's form also caught the eye of Italy boss Giampiero Ventura, who handed the former Palermo forward his international debut in August. Belotti quickly found his feet in the blue of the Azzurri, scoring three goals in five appearances.

It remains to be seen whether Arsenal do eventually submit a formal bid for Belotti, but it seems unlikely that the Gunners will conduct any serious business this month. German defender Per Mertesacker could leave north London on loan as he bids to prove his worth to Wenger, while young full-back Cohen Bramall recently completed his move to The Emirates from non-league Hednesford in a deal worth £40,000.