Vincenzo Montella appears to have ruled himself out of the running to become Clarence Seedorf's successor as AC Milan coach -- if the Rossoneri decide to dispense with his services.
#INSERT type:image caption:Vincenzo Montella took charge of Fiorentina in June 2012 after managing Roma and Catania. END#
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Milan president Silvio Berlusconi said on Friday that a decision on Seedorf's future will be taken after the final game of the season this Sunday, when they host Sassuolo, although the chances of him seeing out the remainder of his two-year contract are looking slim. Milan are still hoping to make the Europa League next season but must beat Sassuolo and hope other results go their way to climb into the top six.
Montella, who has guided Fiorentina to a fourth-place finish and direct access into the Europa League group stage for next season, has been touted as a potential replacement after Berlusconi praised him recently, but he says he is happy in Florence.
"Unless somebody says otherwise, I'm staying here," Montella told Sky Sport Italia. "It's very easy for people to link me with other jobs, but I take it all with a pinch of salt."
With Montella out of the running, an in-house solution could be favoured with Filippo Inzaghi, coach of Milan's youth team, affirming his commitment to the club after being linked as a potential replacement to Antonio Conte should he decide to leave Juventus this summer.
Inzaghi was denied the opportunity of coaching Sassuolo, who had a remarkable run of form to avoid immediate relegation back to Serie B with a game to spare, earlier this season when Milan refused to release a man who they consider to be the long-term future of the club.
"I'm liked a lot here at Milan," Inzaghi said at an awards ceremony in Montecatini Terme. "At the end of the season, I'll sit down with the club and we'll decide my future together. I still have two years on my contract with Milan and right now I'm thinking about my youth-team lads."
Berlusconi told Mediaset: "The advisory board will sit down after our next game and the president will also be heard, of course, then we'll take a decision. The impression this current Milan side is giving me doesn't please me at all, just like it doesn't please our fans."