AC Milan are to continue in their quest to convince Carlo Ancelotti to become their coach next season, in spite of the Italian's insistence that he is going to take a year out.
Ancelotti was relieved of his duties as coach of Real Madrid on Monday, but reaffirmed in an interview with Il Giornale that he now intends to take a break and cure a back problem.
Milan are still keen on appointing him for a second spell in charge, though, and general manager Adriano Galliani dined with the 55-year-old on Tuesday evening.
Until he receives a positive answer from the former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain coach, Galliani says he is not going to be returning to Milan.
"Carlo knows that if he doesn't say yes to me now, then I'm going to go with him to Vancouver," Galliani told reporters after meeting with Ancelotti on Tuesday, reports La Gazzetta dello Sport. "His wife's fine with that, but I hope it doesn't get that far.
"Carlo is part of our history. I met him for the first time at Roma in 1987, 28 years ago, and I'm not going to let go of him. I've come to Madrid to take Carlo back to Milan with me and I'm going to see him again tomorrow."
The Rossoneri have made it their priority to reappoint Ancelotti after another disappointing season which has seen them miss out on European football for a second year running.
Although Ancelotti says he needs an operation on his back in Vancouver and that he does not know how long he would need to recover, Milan are continuing to insist that he accepts their offer and returns home, to the club with whom he won two Champions League titles in an eight-year spell.
The Serie A club still currently have Clarence Seedorf and current coach Filippo Inzaghi on their wage bill until 2016, yet club president Silvio Berlusconi has already vowed to increase his involvement in the club this summer, with or without the financial support of new investors.
Appointing Ancelotti may put a further financial strain on the club, but it is one Berlusconi is willing to tolerate.
"I hope Adriano can convince him to come back to Milan," said Berlusconi to Radio Capital. "I'm optimistic and Adriano's optimistic."