Ambrosini, 36, left the Serie A giants on a free transfer last month and his replacement as skipper was confirmed on Monday.

Montolivo, who only joined Milan last season on a free transfer from Fiorentina, made 39 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring four goals.

And Montolivo, who is a regular for Italy, was announced as the new captain by Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani, as he edged veteran goalkeeper Christian Abbiati for the honour.

"Montolivo will be Milan's captain. I've spoken with Abbiati and there are no problems," Galliani said.

After impressing at Milan last term, Montolivo is reported to be the target of interest from La Liga outfit Sevilla.

But Galliani insisted that the player was not for sale, while adding that Sevilla could not afford him, even if they wanted to.

"Montolivo is not for sale. We won't be selling him to anybody," he said.

"Anyway, at this moment in time, no Spanish club apart from Barcelona and Real Madrid can spend €20 million (£17m) for one player."