Rome - AC Milan are set to be among the big clubs keen on signing Samuel Eto'o, the Cameroon star striker who appears set on leaving Barcelona at the end of the season.

La Gazzetta dello Sport wrote Wednesday that the footballer's agent, Josep Maria Mesalles, last week met Milan officials to resume contacts that had taken place already a year ago.

Eto'o has bickered frequently with coach Pep Guardiola, leaving little room for him to renew a contract that expires in 2010 and likely setting the stage for a departure in the summer.

His performance on the pitch, however, has been impressive after a knee injury in 2007, with 23 goals from as many games played in the current season and 16 goals from 18 games in the previous one.

The appetite of most European top clubs was further whetted when Eto'o said in a recent interview with a French magazine that he has already taken a decision about staying or not at Barca, but was not allowed to talk about it now.

"Barcelona are just the club where I work at the moment," he said.

Manchester City appear to have already made an offer worth 22 million euros (27.7 million dollars), although the Daily Mail added that Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal have long had the striker in their sights.

Milan, who last summer bought Ronaldinho from Barca, are in serious need of an effective striker as veterans Filippo Inzaghi and Ukraine's Andriy Shevchenko face an inevitable decline, young Brazilian Pato is still gaining experience and Marco Borriello is often sidelined with injuries.

Money could be an issue for the Devils as English clubs seem to have larger sums to invest for the transfer fee, while the footballer won't settle for a deal yielding him less than the 5 million euros he makes at Barca. (dpa)