Di Francesco extends Sassuolo contract despite AC Milan interest

Sassuolo manager Eusebio Di Francesco has extended his contract with the club until June 2019, despite reported interest from AC Milan and the Italian national team.

Di Francesco has led Sassuolo to seventh place in Serie A this season, within touching distance of a first-ever European qualification berth.

A scoreless draw with Sampdoria on Wednesday may have ended that fairy-tale run - Sassuolo is a town of just 41,000 people - but the Neroverdi rewarded their manager with a new deal a day later.

"This agreement confirms the desire of both parties to continue the journey that has seen the club grow steadily over the last four years with the conviction that we can also be protagonists in the future," reads a club statement. "The project continues, together, to grow, and improve."

Milan had reportedly identified Di Francesco as Sinisa Mihajlovic's long-term successor. After losing to Sassuolo four times since its promotion in 2013, the Rossoneri appeared determined to give the 46-year-old a try.

It wasn't always an easy road for Di Francesco, though. Sassuolo fired him in January 2014, only to bring him back two months later. He saved the club from relegation that season, gaining the attention of some of Italy's top outfits and even the national team.

There were murmurs that Di Francesco would succeed Antonio Conte as the Azzurri boss. It'd take a lot of convincing to do that now.

Sassuolo has already achieved a club-record 49 points in Serie A this season with four matches left to play.