AC Milan coach Filippo Inzaghi's seemingly inevitable dismissal this summer has moved a step closer after his club's president Silvio Berlusconi revealed that they are not on the same wavelength.
The Rossoneri remain on course for their worst season in Berlusconi's near 30-year reign and the president has no doubts about where the blame lies.
Speaking to reporters while visiting a fans' group in Saronno, Berlusconi did not veil his criticism for the 41-year-old coach.
"Pippo's got a great relationship with the squad, but we've certainly had different views on many occasions and his future is something we will discuss at the given time," he said.
"I like some of the young players we've got in our youth teams and we've been asking in vain for them to be promoted to the first-team. This is a request we've made which has been ignored."
Berlusconi has already ruled out selling his majority control of Milan. He was recently in advanced talks with Thai broker Bee Taechaubol over the sale of the club, but now appears to have shelved or at least reassessed those plans.
"I hope to see a winning Milan again as soon as possible," he said. "Let's see if I can find the time to dedicate myself fully to Milan. It would be good exercise for a man of my age to lift trophies. But I'm not selling Milan, what we are talking about, if anything, is finding investors who can join me.
"We're evaluating different offers and we're doing it slowly because it would be an irreversible decision. I'm hoping to identify somebody who, with me, can take this club forward with the generous finances that we need. If this is not possible, I'll remain as president of Milan and I've got in mind a plan of an all-Italian side because I think there are too many foreigners in our clubs."
That may also indicate that the club's next coach will be Italian, with Fiorentina's Vincenzo Montella and Empoli's Maurizio Sarri still the leading candidates to replace Inzaghi, whose departure in the summer now looks even more certain.