AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani insists the Italians will sign only one of Ronaldinho and Emmanuel Adebayor and his apparent preference for the latter could help Manchester City in their pursuit of the former.
The pair have been linked with switches to the San Siro this summer, with Galliani claiming Arsenal have sent him a letter saying they are willing to discuss a deal for Adebayor but remaining tight-lipped regarding Barcelona'sRonaldinho.
Galliani insists two big-name new signings might have a negative effect on the Rossoneri - and Adebayor, who scored 30 goals in 48 games for Arsenal last season, appears to be Galliani's first choice.
"Let's be clear about this. Adebayor is the alternative to Ronaldinho and vice-versa," Galliani said in a statement on the club's official site, www.acmilan.com.
"We consider Kaka and (Alexandre) Pato first-team players. Having two players of the calibre of Adebayor and Ronaldinho would create a lot of problems in the dressing room."
On Adebayor, he added: "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."
However, a spokesman for the club is also quoted on the website, claiming that Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko "remained in our hearts. If Chelsea should decide to sell him we will buy him, this is what president (Silvio) Berlusconi wants."
If Milan look to Adebayor, it would leave Manchester City as the only bidders for Ronaldinho. The Eastlands club have reportedly offered double the wages of Milan but the Brazilian favours a move to the Italian giants.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)