Milan: Serie A leaders AC Milan cannot afford Manchester City's unsettled striker Carlos Tevez, chief executive Adriano Galliani said on Monday.

Argentina's Tevez has had a transfer request turned down by the Premier League club while Milan are on the lookout for a new forward in January after the injured Filippo Inzaghi was ruled out for the season.

"Tevez is great but Milan can't make an investment like that," Galliani told reporters. The Italian club have reined in spending in recent years and Tevez could cost in excess of $40 million (Dh146.9 million).

"If we find a forward who looks like a Milan player we will take him, otherwise we'll stay like this."

Not for sale

Galliani added that City's Mario Balotelli, a self-confessed Milan fan who came through at Inter Milan's youth team, was not for sale given that he only arrived in England in August and Cagliari's Alessandro Matri was also unlikely to arrive.

Milan were similarly downbeat about the chances of Zlatan Ibrahimovic signing from Barcelona in the close season but the Swede did just that and has been in superb form since.

City, meanwhile, were pondering their next move as the 26-year-old, who has been one of City's best players this season said that relations with "certain executives" at the club have "broken down beyond repair".

The big-spending club have rejected the request, saying that he should fulfil his contract, which still has three-and-a-half years to run.

City said they were disappointed by Tevez's actions and that the transfer request had immediately been rejected.

"This is both an unfortunate and unwelcome distraction, and the club will remain focused on the games ahead in what is turning out to be a very promising season," the club said.