The Rossoneri club chief claims he is being cautious and that he will pursue an "all-Italian" team if the Thai investor ends up being ignored

Silvio Berlusconi has insisted he will not sell AC Milan to someone "looking for immediate popularity" in an apparent warning to Thai investor Bee Taechaubol.

Mr Bee appeared set to complete his takeover of Milan a couple of weeks ago but a deal has seemingly stalled, and Rossoneri chief Berlusconi said on Saturday he is unwilling to sell up unless his demands are met.

"Selling this club for me means selling a piece of my heart, my infancy, when my father took me to the stadium," former Italian prime minister Berlusconi told Telenord.

"I am looking for someone who will put money into Milan straight away. I am prudent, because I won't sell to someone who is looking for immediate popularity because Milan is in fact a widespread brand in the world.

"I'm careful to discover the true intentions of those who offers to take over from me as shareholders of Milan. I'm ready to make a sacrifice and to detach myself from Milan, but only after checking the real intentions of those who want to buy the club.

"If these negotiations don't go the way we hope, I will go forward with another project to create an all-Italian Milan.

"I want to make the club a sort of Nazionale in a league where others have really exceeded with foreign imports.

"Last year's Coppa Italia final had just one Italian starting and our Azzurri coach Antonio Conte has had to call up players not of Italian descent to make the national side."

Milan are 10th in Serie A with three matches remaining, after surprising second-placed Roma 2-1 on Saturday.