Sassuolo coach Eusebio Di Francesco has once again attempted to quell rumours linking him with a move to AC Milan next season by announcing he will be signing a new contract with his current club this week.
Di Francesco has been tipped to move to Milan from the start of next season, with his Sassuolo side pushing the Rossoneri close for a place in Europe next season.
However, he says he is happy where he is and does not intend to leave Sassuolo in the summer. "I've got a contract with Sassuolo for next season and I intend to honour it," he said at a news conference following his side's 3-1 defeat to Fiorentina on Sunday.
"I would like to add to this that during the coming week, I'm going to meet with club management to sign a contract renewal."
Alongside Milan's 1-0 win over Sampdoria on Sunday night, it now seems likely that Christian Brocchi will remain in charge of Milan next season.
He was appointed last week on a contract until the end of the season, after Sinisa Mihajlovic was sacked. After making a winning start to his first major coaching role, Brocchi revealed how his predecessor had been one of the first to congratulate him. "He sent me a text message to compliment me, and that's a sign of great style," Brocchi told Mediaset television.
"I've thanked my team for all they have given me and what they did, in terms of their attitude and their mentality. We held our own.
"We've got character and we just need to show it. The president [Silvio] Berlusconi told me during the week to work on the players' mentality and that's what I did, to prove that this Milan shirt means a lot to me."
That is also something Brocchi expects from Mario Balotelli, whose loan deal from Liverpool expires in the summer. He was encouraged by the first signs on Sunday night, saying he was "fantastic" and that "all he lacked was a goal."