Adebayor to wait and watch

Emmanuel Adebayor is sweating on his dream move to AC Milan as the Italians say they cannot sign him and Ronaldinho.

Emmanuel Adebayor in action for Arsenal. His dream move to AC Milan may depend on Ronaldinho's next club.

Emmanuel Adebayor is sweating on his dream deal to AC Milan as the Italians say they cannot sign him and Ronaldinho. The Arsenal striker, who scored 30 goals in 48 games last season, is keen to cash in with a move to Serie A. But Milan are also chasing Ronaldinho, the Brazilian player who is surplus to requirements at Barcelona. Adriano Galliani, Milan's vice president, says both could be bad for morale in their dressing room and the outcome could depend on how much each one costs.

Arsenal are holding out for around £35million for their Togo frontman, whose demands for a new, improved contract and hints at a move have not gone down well at the Emirates Stadium Ronaldinho is also wanted by Manchester City, although he prefers Milan. Galliani says: "Let's be clear about this: Adebayor is the alternative to Ronaldinho and vice-versa. Having two players of the calibre of Adebayor and Ronaldinho would create a lot of problems in the dressing room.

"If Adebayor decides to leave Arsenal, we are certainly interested. The English club have told us they are available to be contacted to negotiate for the player. This is a step forward, but the road is still long." Arsenal have already targeted the Ajax striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar as a replacement, and have earmarked Samir Nasri to replace Alexander Hleb. The Belarus winger, 27, is another keen to leave for pastures new with Barcelona expected to finalise a £15million deal.

But he admits it will be hard to leave Arsenal. "I believe that there are 10 top clubs in world football, and when a couple of clubs are interested in you and offer better terms, I believe that others would have done exactly the same," he says. "But Arsenal are dear to me, I am grateful to Wenger for everything he has done for me. As an Arsenal player, I can say that there is no better club in the English Premiership."

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