Is there a conflict of interest? Ibrahimovic is annoyed by rumors of Conte's arrival at Milan

The pressure on AC Milan's head coach, Stefano Pioli, is steadily mounting following a disappointing first half of the season for the Rossoneri, during which they fell out of contention for the Serie A title and were eliminated from the Champions League group stage.

This week, Italian media reported that the team would be led by former Inter, Juventus, and Italian national team coach Antonio Conte starting this summer. The rumors gained further traction after the Italian was spotted having dinner near the Rossoneri's office in the company of his coaching staff.

The press also featured information suggesting that Milan's president's advisor, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, views Conte as the ideal replacement for Pioli and actively advocates for this candidacy.

However, it turns out that not everything in this story is so straightforward. According to Corriere della Sera and Gazzetta dello Sport, Ibrahimovic is displeased with the rumors about him working on Conte's move to Milan and doesn't understand where these rumors originated. It is asserted that the Swede has not met with the coach since 2016, and they haven't discussed this matter.

Additionally, the former striker publicly endorsed the current Rossoneri coach, making a simple yet clear statement: "Stefano Pioli is our coach, and we are satisfied with him."

In the domestic standings, Milan currently occupies the third position, trailing Inter by eight points with one more match played. Today, on February 3rd, Pioli's team will face Frosinone away.