ROME, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Italian sports press reported Tuesday that a string of top clubs are lining up to sign Italy star Gianluigi Buffon after the world's top goalkeeper suggested he may say goodbye to Juventus at the end of the season.
Last week Buffon threatened to leave the Turin-based club if the management does not assemble a side capable of winning the title on their expected return to the top flight next season.
Juventus are in Serie B following relegation for the club's role in the Calciopoli referee-rigging scandal.
AC Milan chairman Silvio Berlusconi quickly took Buffon's hint.
"I have great respect for Buffon both as a man and a player," the former premier said after a friendly between Milan and Juventus at the weekend.
"If he were to leave Juventus, Milan would certainly be among the clubs trying to buy him."
But cross-town rivals Inter Milan will also be in the bidding.
Italian sports press said that Inter Chairman Massimo Moratti is willing to pay 20-25 million euros and give Juve Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar and Argentine defender Walter Samuel to have Buffon.
Buffon, who received the Goalkeeper of 2006 award from FIFA President Sepp Blatter here on Monday, is not short of foreign suitors either.
Rich London club Chelsea, whose first-choice keeper Petr Cech is still recovering from a nasty head injury, are leading the way.
English Premiership rivals Manchester United and Arsenal are thought to be keeping a careful eye on the situation too, the reports said.
Juventus, meanwhile, face a major dilemma.
On one hand, they want to hang on to Buffon to show they mean business when they return to Serie A.
On the other, his sale would bring in money needed to buy a number of top players.
Even with Buffon between the posts, the current Juventus side, lying third in Serie B with a game in hand, is not strong enough to compete with the likes of Inter, Milan and AS Roma.
Juve's other top stars, captain Alessandro Del Piero, Mauro Camoranesi, Pavel Nedved and David Trezeguet, are also pressing the club's management to invest on the transfer market.
