Mr Gentiloni, speaking exactly one year after he took over as Italy’s prime minister following the shock resignation of Matteo Renzi, urged British officials to lay out their trade demands in order to allow the EU to facilitate a new trade agreement.

Britain has long refused to adopt an ‘off the shelf’ trade agreement and is keen for a bespoke model that will retain the deep ties between the UK and the EU.

However, Brussels has toughened its stance on trade in recent weeks and argues Britain can either choose to remain within the bloc’s single market and adopt an agreement similar to Norway’s or push for a more goods-orientated deal, as the EU has concluded with Canada.

Speaking in Rome, Mr Gentiloni told the FT: “We need a tailor-made model for the relationship between the UK and the EU but the first move, in my opinion, has to come from the UK because the level of ambition needs to come from the side asking to leave.

“There can be models of reference based on deals the EU has with third countries but these were all done. . . building off a white sheet, tabula rasa [blank slate].

“Here we are doing the opposite — removing things from a 40-year-old structure of extraordinary relationships — and this operation is objectively unprecedented and complicated.”

However, Michel Barnier has said Britain should not be allowed to enjoy the option of striking its own trade deals with other nations as well as the benefits of the single market while still setting limits on the free movement of EU citizens.

The EU’s chief negotiator said last week that there was “no empty space” to explore between a Canada-style deal and other forms of co-operation.

David Davis has said Britain is looking to negotiate a “Canada plus plus plus” agreement with greater coverage of sectors such as financial services.

Italian officials were keen to point out that Mr Gentolini’s comments did not reflect a difference in opinion between Brussels and Rome but instead showed an awareness of the different levels between the Norwegian and Canadian trade agreement models.

Mr Gentiloni added: “I believe it would be a mistake for Brussels, and obviously also for Italy, to say the model should be this or that... If it were for Italy, the model would have been that the UK should remain in the EU.”

He also revealed his thoughts on the deal reached between Brussels and London following a tough week of negotiations for Theresa May.

He said: “Italy is very satisfied with the fact that we took the path of negotiations. We were always against the idea of a ‘no deal’. 

“We are particularly satisfied with regard to EU citizens in the UK because it affects a few hundred thousand Italians.”