AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has shrugged off reports in the Italian media that he is heading to New York for negotiations with former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola.
AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has shrugged off reports in the Italian media that he is heading to New York for negotiations with former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola.La Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Thursday evening that club president Silvio Berlusconi had asked Galliani to arrange talks with Guardiola, with the future of current Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri in serious doubt. Guardiola is currently in New York on his sabbatical after departing Barcelona at the end of last season.He said he took the break because he needed to "recharge [his] batteries” and he is not expected to return to football before the summer. The newspaper also claimed both Tottenham and Bayern Munich had made their interest in Guardiola known.But Galliani quashed the speculation, telling Tuttosport: "I don’t have any plans to travel to New York to meet Pep Guardiola. I am going to New York soon, but only to see my daughter. Is Berlusconi ready to sell the club? Absolutely not.”His close friend Carlo Mazzone, who coached Guardiola when he played with Brescia, earlier stated that the 41-year-old would only return to the peninsula to work with either Milan or neighbours Inter."He has friends here and was happy in Italy,” he told MilanNews.it. "If he does return then clearly it will be to coach a team of great technical potential with important objectives. Let’s make it clear; we talk about anything except football. At most I told him to keep going and always keep his feet on the ground. We are bonded by a close friendship but I do not get involved in his decisions."I would be very happy if Pep returned to Italy. Where could he go? Milan or Inter - there isn’t exactly a vast choice. He has had his time in Spain and I think he could come here, though I don’t know whether it’ll be in a day, a year or five years.”