AC MILAN vice-president Adriano Galliani claims Arsenal have written to him to say they are willing to discuss selling Emmanuel Adebayor.
Speaking on Antenna 3 last night, Galliani said he had received a letter in which Arsenal said they had changed their position and were now open to a deal for the 24-year-old.
"I will reveal to you a scoop," said Galliani. "I have received a lette
r from Arsenal that says, 'Following our communication of 13 June, in which we informed you we were not willing to deal over Adebayor, now we are writing to tell you that we will consider a deal if it still interests you'." Galliani made it clear he is still interested in signing the Togo international, who scored 30 goals in 48 games for Arsenal last year.
"If Adebayor decides to leave Arsenal, we are certainly interested," he said.
However, Milan have balked at the asking price quoted for Adebayor in recent days and Galliani admitted the Rossoneri would struggle to compete financially if Barcelona – also said to be interested in Adebayor – entered the bidding.
Meanwhile, Alexander Hleb has played down suggestions of a rift with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and team-mate Cesc Fabregas but still looks set to leave the club.
The Belarus international has been consistently linked with a move away from Emirates Stadium since the end of the season, with the likes of Inter Milan, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid all mentioned alongside favourites Barcelona in the battle for his signature.
But despite making complimentary noises about his time with the Gunners, his suggestion that "in life, everything changes", could be interpreted as confirmation he will be on his way sooner rather than later.
"I am very grateful to Arsene Wenger. He is the best coach of my career. And not just a coach. He is a very good man and intuitive psychologist. I very much appreciate his support," he said.
"I talked to him twice before the end of the season (about my future]. It is also not that easy for me to leave this club, because it has become my home. I think he is upset, though it is better to ask him, maybe he is glad."
Hleb added: "In life, everything changes. I believe that there are ten 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. But Arsenal is 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."
Hleb, 27, also sought to clarify his relationship with Fabregas, insisting the pair got on well after reports he had branded the Spain midfielder "selfish".
"Cesc and I understand each other very well on the field. And it is very, very pleasurable for me to play with him.
"He's a very pleasant guy both in life and as a footballer. He is just more egoistic in goalscoring opportunities – if he had a chance to score, he always used it, unlike me."
• Ajax insist they have heard nothing from Arsenal concerning a possible bid for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
The Dutch striker has been linked to both the Gunners and Manchester United recently, but Ajax have vowed to fight any attempt to take him from the Amsterdam ArenA.
The full article contains 587 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
