Torino confirm rejecting Arsenal's €65m bid for Italian striker Andrea Belotti

Torino sporting director Gianluca Petrachi has revealed the Italian club rejected a €65m (£56m, $68.4m) bid from Arsenal for Andrea Belotti. The striker was wanted by the Gunners as Arsene Wenger wanted to strengthen his side's attacking division.

The Sun earlier reported the north London club were looking at the option of signing him either in January or after the end of the summer. Their league rivals Manchester United and Chelsea are also interested in signing the 23-year-old.

Belotti has scored 13 goals and has three assists to his name in 17 league appearances. He is the second in the leading goalscorers' list in the Serie A, one goal behind Inter Milan's Mauro Icardi. His form has seen him attract interest from Premier League clubs. Despite confirming Arsenal's club-record bid for their star player, Petrachi confirmed the Italian striker will not be allowed to leave Torino.

"We received and refused a €65m (£56m) offer from Arsenal for Andrea Belotti, but it does not reflect the value of the player," Petrachi told Sky in Italy.

"Anyway, he is going nowhere for now. We want to enjoy him, then we'll see what happens. We intend to keep Belotti and president Urbano Cairo signed this important buy-out clause. I think he's worth more than they have offered."

Torino settled for a goalless draw against Sassuolo in the away Serie A fixture on 8 Janaury. After the match, Torino president Urbano Cairo confirmed his side had slapped a higher release clause in order to keep potential suitors at bay.

"We put a very high price on that clause to deter other clubs, and I want to keep Belotti close by,'' ESPN quoted Cairo as saying.

"I've proved throughout my life that I'm more of a buyer than a seller, in fact I've never sold anything.''

However, the Evening Standard reports that Arsenal have rejected claims made by the Torino chief. The Gunners say they have not placed any bid for Belotti in the January transfer window.