Milan focus on youth

AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi admits that the club must shift emphasis away from signing players and focus on developing their own.

The media tycoon and political heavyweight says that Milan should seek to emulate the model established by La Liga giants Barcelona and invest time and money into their youth academy.
Despite the club's recent success at home and in Europe, Berlusconi says that there are no funds available for the recruitment of already established stars from rivals clubs.
"The economic situation no longer allows for the shopping sprees of the early '90s. We cannot buy well-established players, such as those that characterised the transfer campaigns of recent years," said Berlsuconi, who served as Italy's prime minister on three separate occasions.
"We must build a great team from the youngsters. Barcelona have done it like this. And remember that Milan also started like this, with [Paolo] Maldini, [Franco] Baresi, [Alessandro] Costacurta."
Milan will be hoping to challenge Juventus' Serie A supremacy in 2012/13 after finishing 2nd to the Turin side last season.