Chelsea and City chasing Milan's Pirlo

Roberto Mancini is ready to battle Carlo Ancelotti to land AC Milan’s midfield ace Andrea Pirlo.

The star is set to leave the San Siro on a free transfer, because Milan want him to accept a substantial pay-cut in exchange for a new deal as they try to trim their wage bill.

Chelsea’s former Milan boss Ancelotti remains keen on the Italy playmaker after failing to land him last year and will try again – if he's still in charge this summer.

Manchester City struggled for creativity when Adam Johnson was injured recently and manager Mancini feels Pirlo could bring a different dimension to his developing side.

He is also attracted by his compatriot’s experience - Pirlo has won many top honours in the game, including the Champions League and World Cup.

Mancini feels he needs seen-it-all operators such as Pirlo in his squad as he builds a title-winning team at Eastlands, especially as Patrick Vieira is widely expected to quit this summer.

Juventus are also interested in Pirlo, but the Turin club could not match the package megabucks City could put together.