Torino president Urbano Cairo has confirmed that Real Madrid are interested in signing striker Andrea Belotti.
The 23-year-old scored 28 goals in 38 matches for Torino last season and was subsequently linked with some of Europe's biggest clubs during the summer, including Premier League champions Chelsea.
The Blues eventually opted for Alvaro Morata above the Italy international, and Cairo hinted that Madrid are now the frontrunners for his signature despite insisting that they would need to trigger his €100m (£89.2m) release clause.
"I was eating dinner with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and we were talking about contracts of players with huge release clauses and I mentioned Belotti," Cairo told Tutto Sport.
"As soon as he heard of the clause for Belotti it pricked his ears. If the clause had only been £20m, he wouldn't have been interested. Belotti is an exceptional lad and he's loved by everybody.
"He's always kept his feet on the ground and remained humble, even when he's had a €100m price tag slapped on him. He needs to be relaxed and he told me that he has not even thought about [the clause] even when he put pen to paper on his new contract."
Belotti has scored five goals in 10 appearances for Torino so far this season.
Barney Corkhill
