Despite rumours that Theo Walcott offered himself to AC Milan, the Italian club are more interested in reinforcing their midfield, according to reports in Italy.

The Daily Mail jumped on reports from Corriere Dello Sport claiming that Walcott offered himself to the Serie A side.

But the full newspaper version of the article (via SportWitness.co.uk) says Milan’s priority is a backup for Franck Kessie. Kessie is a central midfielder, so the Arsenal forward doesn’t really fit the bill.

There’s always a possibility that a club as big as Milan could make two signings in one January window, of course.

Manager Gennaro Gattuso is reportedly interested in a wide player, and Walcott is certainly that. The 28-year-old still hasn’t made a league start for Arsenal and it’s hard to imagine Arsenal holding him back if he asked to leave despite Arsene Wenger’s comments.

Wenger said in his pre-Nottingham Forest press conference that he wants Walcott to stay at the club. But he said the same thing about Olivier Giroud before the Frenchman had the chance to leave last summer.

The Italian club spent heavily in the summer.

Excluding loans ending and promotion from the academy, the Rossoneri added 11 players to their first team last window. Seven of those players cost £15m or more.

If the club want to comply with Financial Fair Play guidelines, they may have to offload a couple of players before signing any more, especially if they do sign Walcott. They will also need to ensure they can cover his wages. Totalsportek.com claim the winger is on £110,000 a week at Arsenal.

Do they really want to spend that sort of money for a player who can’t even get into this Arsenal team?