Milan close to signing Zambrotta

Several football sites yesterday (unconfirmedly) claimed that AC Milan is on the verge of completing a deal with Barcelona full back Gianluca Zambrotta (31). Milan officials would have been in lenghty discussions with the player's agent, Giuseppe Bonetto, and with almost all details agreed upon, an official announcement is expected in the coming days. Asked again about the rumours linking him with a return to Italy, Zambrotta wasn't keen on pronouncing on the issue at a press conference today: "I don't think this is the right moment to speak about the future of individual players. Everybody knows that I have a contract until 2010 and that I don't like to talk about this."

Milan president Silvio Berlusconi stated earlier this week in an interview with Italian sports paper La Gazzetta dello Sport that the Milan defence will definitely be strengthened in the summer. Asked about the rumours linking Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o with his club (read more here), Berlusconi said that the Cameroonian is an great player but that Milan has good forwards too.

(read more on the Zambrotta transfer story here)