Paolo Maldini says he is not willing to take on a role of technical director at AC Milan if he does not know what is expected of him, or even who he will be working for.
Former Rossoneri captain Maldini, 48, has already held four meetings with the club's new general manager, Marco Fassone, but remains unconvinced about the offer on the table given the lack of information surrounding the club's prospective new owners.
"I can't take on any responsibility if I do not identify with the owners," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "I would like to get to know the new owners and hear about their project, talk about strategy and listen to their objectives and guidelines -- that seems like a minimum for me.
"I wouldn't call them conditions, but it was them who came after me so it's only right that I ask them things. There are two clear obstacles: the lack of direct responsibility in the management area and the lack of clarity over what my role would be.
"I've been told that the objective is to get Milan back among the top five clubs in the world, but to do this we would have to be working 24 hours a day for a long time. I'm willing to do that, but I need to know precisely how things are.
"There's no deadline, but all will be defined one way or another in the coming days. I am not in a rush and to be honest I don't think I should be, given how big the project is. All I want is to know what they intend to do for the good of Milan, then I will put in my image, credibility, dedication to these colours, time and hard work."
Maldini -- who played 647 games for Milan, the only club of his playing career -- said he remains open to helping out but only if the new owners are as serious about the club's future as he is.
"I don't have to give an answer to them -- they need to give answers to me," he said. "I realise that I may seem like I'm being awkward, but this is my character and this is my approach to sport and life which has made me who I am today and who I was on the field.
"And I'm obliged to be like this -- we're talking about AC Milan and it's not a joking matter."
A Chinese consortium has already paid a deposit of €100 million to acquire the Serie A club from current owner Silvio Berlusconi. A further €320m is due to complete the deal by the end of the year but mystery continues to shroud the full identity of the group of investors.