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After weeks of speculation about who will be the manager of AC Milan going forward, the pool of candidates has gotten a bit more shallow.
According to reports from Corriere del Sport, LaGazetta dello Sport, and Sky Italia, Cristian Brocchi has asked Silvio Berlusconi to allow his contract to expire on June 30th and allow him to seek other opportunities. The belief is that Brocchi will take the managerial position of Brescia in Serie B, with reports stating they have already offered him a contract.
After taking over for Sinisa Mihajlovic in April, Brocchi won only two of the remaining six matches. However, it was believed that he would be given a chance to lead the club again next season. However, Brocchi has reportedly told Milan that he feels the working conditions as manager of the club are less than ideal, and he was unsure about moving forward with the club beyond his existing contract. Therefore, he has asked Berlusconi to take over his day-to-day duties with the Rossoneri, and wants to make the managerial decision easier for the club.
The list of candidates for the job now appears to be down to two individuals: Marco Giampaolo, who stepped down as manager of Empoli at the end of the season, and Frank De Boer, who resigned his position at Ajax after a draw on the final match-day saw the club miss out on the Eredivisie crown.
The delay of AC Milan's sale to a Chinese consortium has led to further turmoil in the managerial race. Many reports stated that the potential new owners of the club wanted Manuel Pellegrini to be the manager, but that appointment will not be approved by the current leadership with the decision to be made this week. Pellegrini, who was let go from Manchester City to make way for the incoming Pep Guardiola, led Manchester City to a Premier League title in his time at the club, but his wage demands were too high for the current leadership of Milan to consider him.
At this time, all signs point to Giampaolo being named the new manager of AC Milan before Friday. With all of the turmoil surrounding the front office, and the indecision regarding the sale of the club, it would not be surprising to see another twist in this saga over the next few days.