Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti admits he'd like to sign Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli.

Ancelotti is ready to tempt Balotelli with the offer of first-team football as he steps up his search for reinforcements to cover the loss of strikers Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou to the Africa Cup of Nations, says the Daily Mail.

"I would sign a player like Balotelli," said Ancelotti. "I like him and he would always be in the first team under me."

But the situation is complicated by the fact that Balotelli, whose parents are originally from Ghana, is wanted by the African nation.