'Nobody says no to AC Milan'

Gennaro Gattuso believes the signings of Gonzalo Higuain and Mattia Caldara show AC Milan have lost none of their prestige. The Rossoneri, sixth in Serie A last season, acquired the pair from Juventus on Thursday as part of a deal that included Leonardo Bonucci returning to his former club.

The latter's desire to leave after just one year was viewed as an indictment of a malaise that has seen Milan fail to achieve a top-four finish since 2012-13. Gattuso, though, believes the addition of two internationals reflects positively on his club's stature.

"These [transfers] are [for] important players. Mattia is a very important player, Gonzalo we all know," the Milan boss told reporters.

"The important thing for me is to make them feel at home and going forward it's going to be a pleasure. I've been talking to Higuain a lot and I believe the fact that he is coming here is a reason to be proud.

"When I speak with players I find that because of the history Milan has, it's difficult for the players to say no I don't want to come here. They all want to come here, nobody says no.

"With players like Caldara and Higuain, and with the young players that we have and the quality of young players that we have, I believe that they will be able to help us make that jump in quality."

One player Milan failed to land during the week was Arturo Vidal, who is on the verge of completing a move from Bayern Munich to Barcelona.

Milan were believed to be interested in the 31-year-old, but Gattuso explained financial restraints meant any deal was impossible.

"Who doesn't like Arturo Vidal? We all know the kind of player that he is. I remember when I played against him he was a warrior," the former Italy midfielder said.

"He was someone that not only gave you quality but he also gave you quantity. He's a great player. He knows football, again he's got great quality and that's probably the reason why Barcelona got him.

"As far as we are concerned, we come from a very difficult time in our club. A time of problems with Financial Fair Play, and for that reason we really wouldn't have been able to afford to being him here."