Reports in England-based media, quoting AC Milan's vice-president Adriano Galliani, have once again raised a cloud of uncertainty over the future of Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov at Tottenham Hotspur.
Berbatov is on a short-list of five forwards the Italian club has targeted as potential reinforcements of its attacking line, alongside Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor, Chelsea's Didier Drogba, Stuttgart's Mario Gómez and Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o.
"The names are those that have been reported by the press," he said. "That is Eto'o, Drogba, Adebayor, Gómez and Berbatov. Any of them would be good," Galliani said, as quoted by British broadsheet The Guardian.
Adebayor might be hard to pursue, with Arsenal manager Arsčne Wenger unwilling to sell: "Emmanuel is under a firm contract that we extended last year. They just have to call me and they will get the answer they deserve."
Gómez is away on national duty with the German team for the European championship finals in Austria and Switzerland, which starts on June 7, complicating any transfer talks. A good showing for Germany in the tournament could further raise his price and increase the competition for his signature.
But Berbatov, Drogba and Eto'o all have shown signs of wanting to move in the summer transfer market and all are available for talks, as neither will take part in this summer's tournament.
With Alberto Gilardino leaving for Fiorentina and Filippo Inzaghi turning 35 in August, Milan could be in the hunt for two big-name strikers, The Guardian said. Disappointing Ricardo Oliveira is gone to Real Zaragoza and even after buying Genoa's highly rated Marco Boriello, the club finds itself short on strikers.
Whether it can meet Tottenham's 25 million pounds (31.2 million euro) valuation of Berbatov will depend on the willingness of its owner, and current Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, to splash the cash after Milan missed out on Champions League football by finishing fifth in last season's Serie A.
