AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic has ban reduced but will still miss Inter derby

Serie A leaders have Swedish striker's suspension for punch on Bari's Marco Rossi cut to two games and player will be back for Fiorentina match

 AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic has officially been ruled out of next weekend's derby against Inter, despite the league leaders winning their appeal to have a three-match ban for violent conduct reduced.

The Court of Federal Justice heard the Rossoneri's appeal against the initial three-game punishment handed to the striker after he struck Bari's Marco Rossi during the side's 1-1 draw at San Siro two weeks ago.

But despite the ban being reduced to two games, Ibrahimovic will still sit out the derby on April 2, with the match billed as a Scudetto decider as Inter lie just two points behind their city rivals in Serie A.

He is expected to return the following week against Fiorentina, having already served the first match of his ban in last week's 1-0 loss to Palermo in Sicily.

 

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Ancelotti open to AC Milan return

Carlo Ancelotti has ruled out ever taking charge of Inter Milan, but the Chelsea boss has admitted he would not turn down the chance to return to AC Milan.

Ancelotti had a stellar career as a player and manager with AC Milan - guiding the Rossoneri to Champions League glory on two occasions. He joined Chelsea in 2009 and led them to Premier League and FA Cup success last term, but this season has been a tough one. The Blues are still in the hunt for honours but he has been linked with a return to Italy.
Chelsea did little to dampen talk about Ancelotti's future recently and Inter are believed to be tracking his progress.
"Would I go to Inter in place of Leonardo? No," Ancelotti told Il Giorno. "I've spent 13 years at Milan, for me it is impossible to ignore the past.
"Moratti [Inter president, Massimo] has been thinking about me? I thank him for the kind words but I'm an AC Milan man. In the event that Moratti calls me in the future, I'll politely decline the invitation."
The Italian is focused on his role with Chelsea, but it is obvious that AC Milan hold a place in his heart.
"I am not thinking about returning to AC Milan," he said. "I'm at Chelsea. But if one day [club chief Silvio] Berlusconi or someone from AC Milan calls, I would not think for a moment to say yes, because certain relationships and certain victories will never be forgotten."

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AC Milan tracking Roma's Jeremy Menez

France international Jeremy Menez could be on his way out of Roma in the summer as Italian giants AC Milan have expressed an interest in signing the attacking midfielder, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports.

The Italian side are desperate to add some more creativity to their midfield at the end of the season and Menez is one of their top targets on the summer transfer market.

AC Milan have also been linked with Brazil international Ganso, but they are reluctant to meet Santos' asking price for the attacking midfielder. Therefore, they're shifted their attention to Menez.

The 23-year-old midfielder seems to have fallen out of favour at the Giallorossi and is widely expected to leave the capital side this summer. Menez has also been linked with Juventus in the past couple of weeks.

However, Roma have yet to receive an official offer for the former Sochaux and Monaco star.


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