Berlusconi to step down as Milan president

Silvio Berlusconi is to resign as the president of Milan next month when he begins his third spell as prime minister of Italy.

"I will have to give up the presidency of Milan and this pains me. My new role is incompatible," said Berlusconi, who was victorious in the Italian general election last week.

The 71-year-old also gave up his position with the Rossoneri during his last term in government between 2001 and 2006, and his imminent departure is unlikely to cause too much concern at the San Siro - the vice-president Adriano Galliani takes control of the day-to-day running of the club.

Berlusconi had hoped to secure a new arrival for his club before his return to government, but talks with Barcelona over Ronaldinho have stalled over the Catalan club's asking price. "We still want to have him and we know that he wants Milan," said Berlusconi. "Barcelona presented a request that everyone considers excessive. We are moving forward and we'll see. We are still interested."

Berlusconi also cleared the way for George Soros to mount a takeover of Roma. It had been rumoured that Berlusconi would seek to prevent the American billionaire from buying into the Rome club, but he today denied this would be the case.

"Roma fans want a winning team, so if someone comes in who can put in the resources to build a winning team who will be protagonists in Italy and Europe, they will be enthusiastic and I hope things develop as they want them to," he said. "I don't see how I could get in the way of something like this."