AC Milan rule out approach for Chelsea boss Antonio Conte

AC Milan have no intention of approaching Chelsea manager Antonio Conte with an offer to replace under-pressure coach Vincenzo Montella, the Serie A club's sporting director has said.

Massimiliano Mirabelli said Milan were happy with the performance of Montella, despite the Rossoneri suffering back-to-back defeats in Serie A heading into the derby showdown against Inter Milan this weekend.

Axed Bayern Munich boss Carlo Ancelotti and Conte have both been linked with the San Siro job, but Mirabelli insisted there was no truth to the reports.

"We have a coach who we admire a great deal, so we are not thinking about other coaches," he was quoted as saying by Football Italia.

The Times reported earlier this month that Conte was planning to leave Chelsea at the end of the current season and return to Italy amid dissatisfaction at the level of support he has received from the Blues board.

The news outlet added that the former Italy boss had "seriously considered" leaving his job in the summer following disputes with Stamford Bridge officials over transfers and the promotion of academy players.

Conte signed an upgraded two-year contract at Chelsea in the summer, but it was not an extension of the original three-year deal he agreed when he joined the club in 2016.

The Chelsea managerial position is the first foreign job of Conte's career, with the former defender having coached the likes of Arezzo, Bari, Atalanta and Juventus before serving as coach of the Italy national team from 2014 to 2016.

The 48-year-old recently admitted that he missed working in his homeland.

"I miss it, that's beyond doubt," Conte was quoted as saying by talkSPORT.

"Italy is my homeland. So once I have had some good experiences, formative experiences, important and life-changing experiences, I'll be back.

"I don't know when but that's the aim."