Torino reject Tottenham loan offer for Belotti with £46.3m option to buy and will only sell him on a permanent transfer

TORINO have rejected Tottenham’s loan offer for Andrea Belotti, according to reports.

It is thought Spurs wanted to take the striker on a temporary basis for this season with the option to sign him for £46.3million next summer.

But according to Italian journalist , Torino would only want to let Belotti go if they could guarantee a transfer fee.

So a loan with an obligation to buy at the end of the season may be a more likely option for a deal to get done.

Belotti, 26, is understood to have a £92.6m release clause in his Torino contract.

But that clause, valid until June 2022, is only valid for teams outside of Italy.

The Italian joined Torino from Palermo in 2015 and has scored 92 goals in 192 appearances for the Serie A club.

Belotti also has nine strikes in 28 international caps for the Italian national team.

Tottenham have already brought in keeper Joe Hart, defender Matt Doherty and midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Jose Mourinho is keen to add another centre forward – although any new signing knows they will have to play as back-up to Harry Kane.

Napoli’s Polish ace Arkadiusz Milik is believed to be his No 1 target but he is also looking at RB Salzburg’s Zambian hitman Patson Daka and Metz’s Senegal striker Habib Diallo.

Mourinho said: “Yes, I want, I need a striker.

“The club — the structure above me — knows I need a striker and also wants a striker.

“Are we going to get one? I believe so.

“The team needs it because at this moment the squad is getting very balanced, with different options for different positions.”