Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani quashed rumours yesterday that the club is in the market for a new attacking playmaker, insisting that they already have one in Kevin-Prince Boateng.
Boateng has always played as a midfielder, even occupying a defensive midfield role for Ghana at the World Cup in South Africa last year.
But Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri converted him into a playmaker this season, prefering him there to Brazilian star Robinho.
And despite rumours that Milan are interested in resigning Kaka from Real Madrid, Galliani says there is no need.
“Boateng is our trequartista, he will be first choice,” he said.
However, first he must come to a deal with Genoa president Enrico Preziosi as Boateng is currently part-owned by both clubs.
Genoa bought Boateng from Portsmouth last summer before registering him as part-owned by both clubs.
A year ago Milan didn’t have the money to buy the 24-year-old so entered into a complicated agreement with Genoa, who paid Portsmouth €5.7 million up front.
Milan then paid Genoa one million euros for their half share while other players were exchanged in the deal. To sign him outright, Milan must now stump up the second half of his value but Preziosi claimed that the Serie A champions are trying to do a deal on the cheap.
“He (Boateng) is like wine, he gets better with age, and costs more too,” said Preziosi.
“Boateng is worth half his value of today, notwithstanding the other half which last summer was acquired at little cost, and not just in liquid cash but also with players.
“There’s a 50 per cent chance Boateng will stay with Milan. We have an agreement with Galliani which also involves other players, (Marco) Amelia, (Giacomo) Beretta, (Rodney) Strasser, (Nnamdi) Oduamadi, (Gianmarco) Zigoni.
“If Milan respect this agreement there won’t be any problems, and I don’t think there will be any.”
However, Galliani claimed it was Preziosi who wanted to change the parameters, joking that he wanted Milan to pay for Boateng’s dancing skills as well as his footballing ones – the German-born player had given a performance of the Michael Jackson moonwalk at Milan’s title party.