Milan technical director Paolo Maldini is still confident his side can mount a challenge for the Serie A title after cutting Napoli's lead at the summit.

A last-gasp own goal from Nikola Milenkovic handed Milan a 2-1 victory against Fiorentina at San Siro on Sunday in the final game before the World Cup, reducing Napoli's advantage to eight points.

While that tally is still significant, victory against La Viola was a crucial one as a draw would have seen the deficit in double figures.

With 11 consecutive wins, dethroning an in-form Napoli side when the season resumes in January is a stern test but Maldini feels the race is far from over.

"Absolutely, we believe in it. Last year in the derby we were seven points from Inter, then we won," he told DAZN.

"It is not easy to keep this pace until the end, we have to grow. Maybe at this moment we are a little empty of energy.

"The standings speak for themselves; we have two points fewer than last year. Napoli have done incredible things.

"We are in line with last year. For the rest, nothing can be said. We are through in the Champions League with players still to recover.

"We must keep the spirit and enthusiasm that made us win last year."

Maldini also continued to back Charles De Ketelaere, who is yet to impress with Milan after his arrival from Club Brugge.

"He's suffering. It's a different environment with different pressures and demands. It is the difficulty of having so many emotions," he added.

"We have a five-year contract with Charles, not five months. We are waiting for it. Judgements must be partial. Time will tell if he can fit in well."

A last-gasp Nikola Milenkovic own goal handed Milan a 2-1 victory over Fiorentina at San Siro on Sunday to cut Napoli's lead at the top of Serie A.

Rafael Leao opened the scoring after just two minutes, but Fiorentina responded fiercely, finding an equaliser before the half-hour mark through Antonin Barak's deflected effort.

It appeared Milan would have to settle for a share of the points, which would have seen them sit 10 behind Napoli, but a remarkable end saved the hosts.

Milenkovic diverted the ball into his own net to deny Fiorentina in cruel fashion, with their appeals for VAR to intervene being waved away.

The hosts came out of the blocks flying, Olivier Giroud flicking a pass for Leao to charge into the box and slot home into the bottom-right corner with just two minutes on the clock.

Fiorentina had a swift chance to equalise, Riccardo Saponara smashing an effort against the frame of the goal, before pulling level minutes before the half-hour mark as Barak's drive took a wicked deflection off Malick Thiaw to beat Ciprian Tatarusanu.

Milan were back on the front foot at the start of the second period, Giroud forcing a close-range save from Pietro Terracciano and Leao thumping an attempt wide of the post.

At the other end, a superb last-ditch tackle from Fikayo Tomori on Jonathan Ikone kept Fiorentina at bay, with a VAR check confirming no infringement from the England international.

Tomori was again on hand to prevent Ikone, clearing off the line, which proved to be decisive when Milenkovic sent the ball into his own net after Terracciano failed to punch the ball away.

Pierre Kalulu is set to stay at Milan until 2027 after the defender signed a two-year extension to his previous deal at San Siro.

The 22-year-old, who arrived just over two years ago from Lyon's reserve team, has emerged as a regular fixture in the Rossoneri's back-line and has been rewarded for his fine form.

Kalulu was originally contracted to Milan until 2025, but he has become the latest key man to commit his long-term future to the Serie A champions.

"Milan is pleased to announce the extension of Pierre Kalulu's contract until 30 June 2027," read a brief club statement.

"Pierre joined AC Milan in the summer of 2020 and has since made 75 appearances, carving out an important space in the Rossoneri defence."

Fikayo Tomori, Kalulu's defensive partner, and Sandro Tonali have also both signed new deals since the start of the season, as has coach Stefano Pioli. Theo Hernandez agreed an extension back in February.

Kalulu played 28 games and scored one goal in Serie A last season. He has featured 14 times in the league this term, as well as starting all six of Milan's Champions League matches.

Ivan Gazidis will step down as CEO of Milan when his contract expires next month, the reigning Serie A champions have announced.

The 58-year-old had held the position at San Siro since December 2018 following a decade as part of Arsenal's boardroom.

During Gazidis' four years at Milan, the club ended an 11-season wait for the Scudetto, returned to the Champions League and improved their financial figures.

Amid recent speculation regarding his future beyond this year, the Rossoneri confirmed on their official website on Wednesday that Gazidis will depart on December 5.

Commenting on the announcement, Milan chairman Paolo Scaroni said: "On behalf of everyone associated with AC Milan, I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Ivan for his passion and dedication, as well as the significant contribution he has made to the health and success of this football club, representing and enhancing the core values for which it stands. 

"As I said during our recent shareholders' meeting, it is very easy to be the chairman of an organisation which has a CEO of the quality of Ivan Gazidis.

"I would also like to personally wish him some peaceful and well-deserved time with his family and every success in his next professional chapter."

Gazidis was diagnosed with throat cancer in July 2021 but returned to his daily duties with Milan following a short period away.

And the South African has credited the Italian giants for helping him to cope during a hugely challenging period on a personal level.

"After four wonderful, challenging years I will be leaving Milan," he said in a statement. "I owe so much to this club, its people, its fans and to this city, that literally saved my life. 

"If the club is in a better position now than when I arrived, it is entirely due to the work of those I have been surrounded with, from our ownership, to our chairman, our head coaches, their coaching staffs, our sporting directors, our players and every young boy or girl with dreams in our academies, our scouts, analysts, medical and support staff, our senior management team and all of the extraordinary people who live for and give everything they have for this club.

"I have been privileged to work with them all. I have no doubt that this foundation and the people we have in place in every position will take the club to new levels in the years ahead.

"Finally, I want say a personal thank you to our fans. Our fans have carried their club (and me) through some difficult times through their belief and their strength. 

"I will hold in my heart forever the way they showed their support to me when I was not well. They deserve every good thing. I may leave the club, but the club will never leave me."

Milan, who trail Serie A leaders Napoli by eight points with one game to go before the World Cup break, intend to announce Gazidis' successor "in due course".

Real Madrid are looking to Serie A for their next striker, with Napoli's Victor Osimhen and Milan's Rafael Leao interesting the Spanish giants.

Osimhen, 23, arrived at Napoli after a club-record €70million transfer from Lille in 2020 and quickly adapted to life in Italy.

Leao, who is the same age, was Osimhen's team-mate at Lille back in 2019 before being pried away to Milan. He was spectacular last campaign in helping Milan to their first Serie A title since the 2010-11 season, scoring a career-high 11 league goals, and has hit form this term, too.

TOP STORY – REAL MADRID IDENTIFY OSIMHEN AND LEAO AS KEY FORWARD TARGETS

According to Calciomercato, the only thing standing between Madrid and "another nine-figure investment" in one of Serie A's leading lights is the contract of 31-year-old winger Eden Hazard.

Forbes reports Hazard is making approximately €500,000 per week, and if Madrid can find a taker for him in January, or at the end of the season, their financial flexibility will vastly improve.

Come January, Leao will have 18 months remaining on his contract, and with numerous reports that negotiations for an extension have made little progress, Milan will eventually have to entertain the likelihood of a sale.

Osimhen has an extra year on top of that, tying him to Napoli until 2025 and giving the club plenty of leverage in any potential sale.

ROUND-UP

– The Evening Standard is reporting Chelsea have held multiple meetings with 16-year-old Palmeiras prospect Endrick, who is also a target for Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. He will not be allowed to leave for Europe until he turns 18 in 2024.

– According to TeamTalk, Tottenham are looking to replace goalkeeper and club captain Hugo Lloris.

– West Ham and Leicester City are interested in 28-year-old Inter left-back Robin Gosens, per Gazzetta dello Sport. 

– Sport is reporting Juventus are willing to meet the contract demands of Chelsea midfielder Jorginho, with the Italy international demanding €13.6m per year.

– Barcelona are considering a move for Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, who they view as a potential replacement for Memphis Depay, according to Sport.

Stefano Pioli was left frustrated as his Milan side were held to a 0-0 draw by winless Cremonese in Serie A on Tuesday.

An impressive performance from Cremonese goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi saw him deny the likes of Divock Origi and Junior Messias as Milan dominated the first half.

Origi thought he had broken the deadlock soon after the break, but a VAR check ruled him offside before Cremonese saw out the remaining minutes to pick up a valuable point and prevent Milan from keeping pace with leaders Napoli, who beat Empoli 2-0 earlier on Tuesday.

Attempting to win their second straight league title, Pioli's men now sit eight points Napoli, and the Milan head coach was disappointed in their display as they failed to pick up all three points on the road for the fourth game in seven to start this season, having only dropped points away from San Siro five times last campaign.

"We could have done more tonight," Pioli told DAZN. "We played a decent first half, but the second was not up to par.

"We did not create enough to be really dangerous. With our quality we could do more, despite the few spaces granted by Cremonese.

"In the second half there was little fluidity and clarity. We won a few offensive duels and so it is difficult to score."

Pioli acknowledged the lead that Napoli now hold over his side, and spoke of his desire to see an improved display at the weekend as they look to bounce back against Fiorentina.

"Eight points are a lot," Pioli added. "We don't like this result, but on Sunday we have the opportunity to redeem ourselves.

"We didn't want this gap. Congratulations to Napoli but we could have done more."

Milan drew a blank despite Pioli introducing Rafael Leao with half an hour to play, but the head coach refused to criticise the substitute for the little impact he had.

Pioli explained: "I think it's wrong to point the finger only at a single player [Leao]. If you don't work well as a team, the results won't come. The overall performance was not up to par.

"We expected this attitude from Cremonese. We had some opportunities to score goals, but if you don't unlock them immediately then everything becomes more complicated."

Milan were held to a goalless draw after a wasteful display meant the champions picked up just a point away at winless Cremonese in Serie A on Tuesday.

Stefano Pioli's side dominated the first half, though a magnificent performance from Cremonese goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi kept out efforts from Divock Origi and Junior Messias.

Origi saw a goal disallowed in the second half and despite some late pressure, the hosts clung on to pick up just their seventh point of the season.

Milan cut Napoli's lead at the top to eight points, but just a draw against such a lowly side will be frustrating for Pioli's men as they lose pace on the table-toppers.

The Rossoneri controlled possession early on, but struggled to create anything clear-cut until Brahim Diaz poked Messias' cross wide after 23 minutes.

They had an even better chance soon after when Origi was slipped through on goal by Ante Rebic, though the former Liverpool striker's low shot was saved by Carnesecchi.

More impressive work from Carnesecchi was required soon after, first diving to his right to palm away Malick Thiaw's header from a corner, before a smart stop to deny Messias ensured Cremonese made it to the break level.

Origi thought he had broken the Cremonese resistance 11 minutes into the second half, but his sliding finish was ruled out by VAR after he was adjudged to be offside.

Rafael Leao was then thwarted by Carnesecchi as Milan pressed for a winner, but they could not find one as they were forced to settle for a point.

Real Madrid and Liverpool will contest a repeat of last season's Champions League final during the round of 16 following Monday's draw.

Madrid reached the knockout stages as Group F winners, an outcome they will have been hoping would secure them a favourable tie.

But by being paired with Liverpool, Carlo Ancelotti's men were given arguably the hardest draw possible in what will be a repeat of the 2021-22 and 2017-18 finals.

There will also be a replay of the 2019-20 showpiece between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.

Die Roten prevented PSG from winning their first continental crown that year, with revenge on the cards for the Parisians early next year.

Chelsea, winners most recently in 2021, will go up against the youthful Borussia Dortmund, while Manchester City – beaten finalists last year – are also due to tussle with Bundesliga opposition in RB Leipzig.

Antonio Conte faces a return to his homeland and San Siro as Tottenham prepare to duel with Italian champions Milan, while Serie A leaders Napoli – who won their group ahead of Liverpool – will fancy their chances against Europa League holders Eintracht Frankfurt.

Last-16 draw in full:

RB Leipzig v Manchester City
Club Brugge v Benfica
Liverpool v Real Madrid
Milan v Tottenham
Eintracht Frankfurt v Napoli
Borussia Dortmund v Chelsea
Inter v Porto
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich

Real Madrid and Liverpool will contest a repeat of last season's Champions League final during the round of 16 following Monday's draw.

Madrid reached the knockout stages as Group F winners, an outcome they will have been hoping would secure them a favourable tie.

But by being paired with Liverpool, Carlo Ancelotti's men were given arguably the hardest draw possible in what will be a repeat of the 2021-22 and 2017-18 finals.

Milan forward Rafael Leao continues to be linked with a host of top European clubs who are plotting January moves.

Leao won last season's Serie A Footballer of the Year and has maintained his fine form this term.

The 23-year-old forward is contracted with Milan until mid-2024, prompting interest to prise him away from the Rossoneri.

TOP STORY – MILAN PREPARING FOR BUMPER JANUARY BIDS FOR RAFAEL LEAO

Milan are preparing for January bids from Chelsea and Manchester City of approximately £105 million for Rafael Leao, reports Tuttomercato.

Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain have also shown an interest in the Portuguese attacker.

Milan are still working on a new deal with Leao before he departs for the World Cup, hoping to tie him down on a long-term contract.

ROUND-UP

– Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is considering trying to lure Dusan Vlahovic to Old Trafford as he prepares for life without Cristiano Ronaldo, reports The Sun on Sunday. Juventus forward Vlahovic moved to the Bianconeri from Fiorentina in January for £62million.

– Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has told the club to sign Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans in the January transfer window, claims The Sun. Tielemans is valued at £40m and is out of contract at the end of this season.

– The Mirror reports Arsenal are also interested in a January move for Vitoria Guimaraes midfielder Ibrahima Bamba, having sent scouts to watch him.

– Calciomercato claims Tottenham are looking into a swap deal involving Emerson Royal in order to bring Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries to the club from Inter.

– Serie A leaders Napoli are preparing an offer for Barcelona's Jordi Alba, who is looking for first-team football, according to El Nacional.

Stefano Pioli believes the character of his Milan side is "second to none" after the reigning Serie A champions secured a late win against Spezia on Saturday.

Olivier Giroud came off the bench at San Siro to score an 89th-minute winner in the 2-1 victory, though was then sent off for a second booking after removing his shirt while celebrating.

Pioli was full of praise for the mental strength of his team after the win, which took Milan up to second and back to within six points of league leaders Napoli after the latter beat Atalanta.

"Our mentality is to believe in what we do," he told Sky. "As far as character is concerned, we are second to none."

Theo Hernandez put Milan in front with a first-half volley from close range, only for Daniel Maldini - son of Milan legend and technical director Paolo - to equalise against his parent club with Spezia's first away goal of the season.

Maldini's goal came 5,333 days after his father's last one at San Siro in March 2008.

Pioli did not seem to mind Maldini scoring, particularly because his team eventually secured the win, and declared that his father was able to experience the best of both worlds, with his son scoring and his team winning.

"Daniel Maldini's goal? It was the perfect evening for Paolo," the Rossoneri head coach joked.

"The match was difficult, we made it complicated... I liked the first half, [but] we have to work to close the game early."

On Giroud's red, with the French striker later claiming he had forgotten he was on a yellow card, Pioli said: "He is a very strong guy, and I am very happy with his performances.

"Tonight, he was naive."

Olivier Giroud was "angry" with himself for forgetting he had already been booked when he whipped off his shirt to celebrate scoring Milan's late winner against Spezia.

Giroud came off the bench to snatch a 2-1 victory for the Rossoneri with an 89th-minute volley after being picked out by a superb Sandro Tonali pass.

The France striker was then given his marching orders, having been shown a yellow card six minutes before scoring his decisive goal.

Giroud has been in the thick of the action this week, scoring two goals and providing as many assists in a 4-0 thrashing of Salzburg that put Stefano Pioli's side in the Champions League round of 16.

The 36-year-old was frustrated that his earlier caution had slipped his mind after his clinical finish in the closing stages at San Siro.

"It was certainly a very nice goal, which came thanks to Tonali's assist," he told Sky Sport. "We wanted to win this match, the important thing is to have three points more in the standings but I'm angry because I forgot about the first yellow card."

Asked if he was not thinking clearly due to the ecstasy of scoring the winner, he replied: "Yes, football is like that. The adrenaline and the happiness of having given victory to the team after a difficult match has affected me.

"In my head I am still a child, but I have great faith in the team and also on Tuesday [against Cremonese] we will fight to win the three points."

Theo Hernandez put Milan in front with a first-half volley from close range, but Daniel Maldini equalised against his parent club with Spezia's first away goal of the season.

Tonali had a goal ruled out at 1-1 for a foul on M'Bala Nzola by Fikayo Tomori following a VAR check, but Giroud moved them six points behind Napoli in second place after the leaders beat Atalanta 2-1 earlier on Saturday.

Olivier Giroud scored a late winner and was sent off for his celebration as Milan beat Spezia 2-1 to go second in Serie A.

Theo Hernandez put the Rossoneri on course for back-to-back wins after they hammered Salzburg to qualify for the Champions League round of 16 in midweek.

Daniel Maldini, son of Milan legend Paolo, then stunned his parent club by scoring Spezia's first away goal of the season to equalise in the second half.

There was late drama at San Siro, though, as Giroud came off the bench to volley an 89th-minute winner before being shown a second yellow card for whipping off his shirt.

Barcelona have reportedly reignited their chase of Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva, and are said to be confident in their ability to get the deal done in January.

Silva, 28, has won four league titles with City since arriving at the club in 2017, and is enjoying another strong season after setting a new career-high with eight Premier League goals in the 2021-22 campaign.

The Portuguese international with 72 senior caps has two goals and five assists in his 12 league appearances this season, and has appeared in all six of City's Champions League group stage fixtures.

Barcelona have been linked with Silva for months, but after recent reports claimed they had moved on, a recent development has positively impacted the Spanish giants' financial situation and put the City star back on their radar.

TOP STORY – BARCELONA REVISIT CITY'S SILVA AFTER PIQUE RETIREMENT

According to Sport, the retirement of Gerard Pique has resulted in significantly improved financial flexibility for Barcelona, allowing them to revisit their long-standing interest in Silva.

The report claims City may be hesitant to part ways with a key contributor in the midst of a title chase, but that Silva had previously asked to leave the club before the failed sale of Frenkie de Jong muddied the waters.

Meanwhile, Mundo Deportivo adds Barcelona will look at 31-year-old Athletic Bilbao centre-back Inigo Martinez as their top choice to fill the defensive void left by Pique's departure.

ROUND-UP

– Calciomercato is reporting Chelsea are preparing to terminate the loan of Denis Zakaria, claiming they can not offer him regular starts and have no interest in activating the €28million buy clause in the deal.

– According to ESPN, Liverpool are the favourites ahead of Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United and City to land Borussia Dortmund phenom Jude Bellingham.

– The Leicester Mercury is reporting Leicester City will not allow Youri Tielemans to leave during the January transfer window, despite his contract expiring at the end of the season.

– Milan are keeping a close eye on 22-year-old Spezia centre-back Jakub Kiwior, with Gazzetta dello Sport reporting they could make a move in January.

– According to La Razon, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is interested in 25-year-old centre-back Pau Torres, who he coached at Villarreal.

LaLiga has warned a fresh attempt to launch a European Super League will be offering only a rehashed version of the competition that launched and collapsed within days last year, leaving clubs humiliated.

The Spanish league is determined to fend off a new proposition for an elite league, and has warned it would "destroy" the existing structure of the domestic game.

In a statement, LaLiga pointed to a previous proposal from 2019, as well as the calamitous launching of the Super League last year that saw 12 teams agree to take part, before almost all pulled out in a hurry after a furious backlash from fans, politicians and football governing bodies.

It was revealed in October 2022 that A22 Sports Management – a company representing the Super League clubs – is planning to revive the proposals. Bernd Reichart, a media executive, has been appointed to head up the plans.

LaLiga said on Twitter on Friday: "The promoters of the Super League are now preparing a model similar to the one put forward in 2019, which is still closed or mostly closed, which will destroy the national leagues and which has already been rejected by clubs and leagues in Europe."

Spanish giants Barcelona are among the teams still keen on the idea of a new competition, with club president Joan Laporta last month saying it would be "more even" than the current system, claiming UEFA is not satisfactorily enforcing the ethos of financial fair play.

LaLiga published a video expressing its opposition to the Super League, in which it stated that "the whole of European football took a stand against its closed, selfish and elitist model".

"Now the promoters of the Super League are trying to conceal its format, claiming that they still don't have a fixed model although it will be an inclusive and open," LaLiga added.

"We know that this is false, and that they want to present a semi-closed format similar to 2019 which has already been rejected by the clubs and European leagues.

"This model is based on promotion and relegation between European divisions where the national leagues do not provide direct access to the top tier. On the contrary, they perpetuate the participation of a privileged few, even if they perform poorly in their domestic leagues.

"To be clear: anything less than any club earning its place in Europe's top flight through success in the domestic leagues will remain a closed or semi-closed model.

"We have also heard that the Super League wants to claim to be the saviour of football, saying that the current system no longer appeals to young people. Fake news. As an example, data shows that LaLiga's audience in Spain among those under the age of 24 has increased by more than 22 per cent in the last four seasons."

LaLiga also said research showed football's global fan base had risen by 3.4 per cent in the 16-29 age bracket, while stating TikTok metrics revealed 60 per cent of its mainly young audience consumes football content.

The statement from LaLiga said the Super League's promise of "a more exciting competition" would in reality mean "a constant stream of the same type of clashes, turning the extraordinary into the ordinary".

It warned such a competition "would destroy the ability to turn dreams into reality", denying smaller clubs than the cherry-picked elite the long-established pathway to competition at the highest level.

LaLiga, whose president Javier Tebas has been a vocal opponent of the proposed new competition, added: "The promoters of the Super League must respect the will of European fans and citizens, where the Council of Europe has already taken a position against the Super League and the European Parliament has defended an open, democratic model based on meritocracy."