Former AC Milan chief Marco Fassone admits they considered a move for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2017.
Ronaldo left Real Madrid last August for Juventus.
"[Milan's former owner] Mr Li [Yonghong] wanted Ronaldo because he believed he had great impact in the Chinese market," Fassone told Sole24Ore.
"The player wanted to leave Madrid and we met in July 2017 with his agent Jorge Mendes to check the player's costs and availability.
"Then I convinced [Li] to abandon the dream, as Cristiano was too expensive."