Silvio Berlusconi wants Andriy Shevchenko back at AC Milan.

``If it were up to me, I would take him back straight away,'' the Milan owner told Saturday's edition of Gazzetta dello Sport. ``Don't forget that he was the one that wanted to leave and not even I could stop him.''

Shevchenko moved to English Premier League champions Chelsea in May in a four-year deal worth 30 million pounds (US$59 million) after playing for seven seasons with Milan.

But the Ukraine striker, who had 173 goals in 296 games for Milan, has only scored four in 19 matches for Chelsea, sparking speculation that he could return to Italy during the January transfer window.

The 30-year-old Shevchenko was also quoted in British media on Thursday as saying he was prepared to leave _ although Chelsea issued a statement denying the reports.

``The truth is, I think it'll be difficult because I don't believe Chelsea will let him go,'' Berlusconi added. ``But if it's meant to happen, it'll happen.''

Milan has won only one of its last six league games to be in 15th place in the Serie A after starting the season with an eight-point penalty from the Italian match-fixing scandal.