Carlo Ancelotti hint suggests Chelsea will sign Andrea Pirlo

Simon Johnson
24 Jul 2009

Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti has dropped his biggest hint yet that the club will sign AC Milan midfielder Andrea Pirlo

The Italian left the San Siro for Stamford Bridge in May and has since identified Pirlo as one of his main targets.

Milan have continued to insist the midfielder is not for sale, but the Serie A club need to raise funds to sign the player on the top of their wish-list, Sevilla striker Luis Fabiano.

Milan have seen their £14million bid rejected, with the Spanish side asking for a fee closer to £20m, which is around the same price Chelsea are prepared to pay for Pirlo's services.

Like Chelsea, Milan are touring America this week and the two clubs face each other in a pre-season friendly in Baltimore tonight. Asked about Pirlo ahead of the game, Ancelotti offered an indication that the 30-year-old's future may lie away from the San Siro.

The Chelsea boss said: "Tonight he will be with Milan for sure, but no one knows for the future."

Chelsea are still trying to strengthen their squad, but have struggled to buy a 'marquee' player, having seen their interest in Franck Ribery and David Villa rebuffed. The club already have five central midfielders, but there is still a possibility Deco will leave to make room for Pirlo, with Galatasary now chasing the Portugal international.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are still considering reporting Manchester City to the Premier League over their public pursuit of John Terry.

The club are unhappy with City's attempts to lure him away from Stamford Bridge, which they believe could have broken the League's rules on transfer business.

Terry has yet to confirm publicly that he is staying at the club, but Ancelotti is unconcerned, adding: "It is not a problem if it is a few days or more. He will be captain of Chelsea in the future."