Berlusconi would love to sign Ronaldo

AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi admits he would be interested in bringing Cristiano Ronaldo to the club if the price was right.

The former Italian prime minister has been a long-term admirer of the Real Madrid forward and this is not the first time he has stated he would welcome the Portuguese to San Siro with open arms.

Speaking on Italian TV show Il Processo di Biscardi, Berlusconi also appeared to rule out moves for Arsenal’s Robin van Persie and Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez.

“Cristiano Ronaldo? I would not say no (to signing him), but only for a fair price due to the economic crisis that is not only in Italy. Van Persie and Tevez? Who?” he said.

The 75-year-old also spoke positively of the Rossoneri’s current star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who he believes would be a worthy recipient of the FIFA Ballon d’Or.

“I think to win it is very important to perform in international matches, so I hope Ibrahimovic will do very well in the Champions League. He deserves the Golden Ball,” he said.

Asked about Alexandre Pato, who came close to being sold to Paris Saint-Germain in January before deciding to stay in Milan, Berlusconi said: “He is a great champion but has too many injuries. Now we will let him recover without being rushed back.”

Milan are currently preparing for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 encounter against Arsenal where they take a 4-0 lead, and Berlusconi was keen to talk about how the team should approach the side.

“We have to go on the field to win. We can’t go there and play a defensive match, we have an international reputation to defend,” he said.

“We have a team that can still be the number one. We want to be protagonist in Italy and in Europe, although it is a shame we have so many injuries.”