Milan waiting on Poulsen

Milan are ready to offer Schalke midfielder Christian Poulsen a four-year contract at Giuseppe Meazza.

The Danish star is a free agent in the summer but the waters have been muddied by his agreeing of a pre-contract with Villarreal.

If Poulsen can reach a financial settlement with the Spanish side, and the indications are he is willing to pay around €850,000 (£591,000) to free himself from the deal, then a contract worth an estimated €2 million (£1.39 million) per season with Milan can be finalised.

"When Poulsen's agent informed us of this agreement with Villarreal, Milan immediately broke off negotiations," said club lawyer Leandro Cantamessa to Gazzetta dello Sport.

"We will restart talks with Poulsen's representatives only when they will present documents, in which it will be clear that the player is free to negotiate with whoever he wants."

Ironically, the Dane was involved in an ugly confrontation with Milan's Rino Gattuso during a UEFA Champions League tie with Schalke this season.

That should make for interesting 'bedfellows' after his scrum with Gattuso............

It's strange, Gattuso and Poulsen are such similar players. The dogged defensive midfielder type, surely there is only room for one of them in the Milan quartet across the middle of the park.