Arsenal target Andrea Belotti admits doubt over future but Torino confident he will stay

Arsenal target Andrea Belotti cannot guarantee he will still be a Torino player next season, although the Italian side hope they can convince 'The Rooster' to stay until after the 2018 World Cup.

Belotti is Serie A's joint-top goalscorer this season alongside Roma's Edin Dzeko, having plundered 24 goals in 28 matches. The 23-year-old signed a new contract in December 2016 that included a buyout clause of €100m (£85m) in an effort to ward off interest from clubs outside of Italy.

Arsenal tried their luck with a bid of €65m (£56m, $68.4m) during the January transfer window, according to Torino sporting director Gianluca Petrachi. The offer was swiftly rejected.

With Belotti continuing to find the net since then, Manchester United have also linked with the Italy international. The Manchester Evening News claim he is one of two strikers – the other being Everton's Romelu Lukaku – being lined up as Zlatan Ibrahimovic's long-term replacement.

Torino were able to fend off interest during the January window, but Belotti has hinted a summer move could be looming.

"I am a Torino player at the moment but in the future I don't know what will happen," he told Sky Sport.

Torino remain insistent any team wishing to prise the striker away will have to meet his considerable buyout clause. Club president Urbano Cairo is also hopeful he can convince the player to remain in Italy for one more season.

"I've read that he would be happy to stay and I'll have a world with him. I think he needs to consolidate and have another great season and then go to the World Cup in really high spirits, and then we will see," Cairo told Rai Radio 1, as reported by ESPN.

"I would like to keep him here for life, but I am obliged to let him go if someone from abroad offers €100m. Then it would be down to him – he could even say no, but I have a splendid relationship with Andrea and I think we can still go a long way together."

Belotti has also been tentatively linked with Chelsea, with Torino expert Peter Bourne explaining to IBTimes UK earlier this year the striker has all the attributes required to thrive in the Premier League.