ON THE WAY OUT: Emmanuel Adebayor (with his mother) is wanted by AC Milan but, if Barcelona make an offer, it would be hard for him to say no. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Now, not only is Emmanuel Adebayor for sale, but he can also leave Arsenal for half the price.

The transfer speculation surrounding the Togo player is bordering on the soap opera-ish.

Arsenal had at first declared he was not for sale.

And, to prove their point, they slapped a £36 million (S$96.8 million) price tag on the striker.

AC Milan, who were eyeing him, baulked at the price and withdrew their interest.

But now, fed up with Adebayor's constant demands for a pay rise, the Gunners are willing to let him go - at half the price.

Vincenzo Morabito, the agent working on Milan's behalf to prise the 24-year-old from the Emirates, said the Italians were 'working to make the deal easier' - and had arrived at 'more reasonable figures'.

He said on The Daily Telegraph: 'They're still asking lot, but much less than the 45 million euros we were originally asked for. More than that of Samuel Eto'o and Didier Drogba, but they are a little bit older.'

Eto'o, the Barcelona striker, is 27 while Chelsea's Drogba is 30.

Adriano Galliani, Milan vice-president, also claims that Arsenal have written to him to explain they had softened their stance over Adebayor since last month, when they indicated he was not for sale.

He said: 'I have a letter from Arsenal that says, 'We will consider a deal if it still interests you'.'

According to Galliani, he had spoken to the English club's manager Arsene Wenger about a sale, but he reported the two being 'divided' over Adebayor's value.

Milan have made the acquisition of a striker a high priority, after Ronaldo suffered a long-term injury and Alberto Gilardino was lost to Fiorentina.

Galliani conceded: 'If Adebayor decides to leave, Milan definitely want him.

'But it is clear that, if an offer arrives from Barcelona, it would be difficult for him to say no.'