Gonzalo Higuain reportedly asked a furious Gennaro Gattuso to exclude him from Milan’s trip to Genoa in Serie A on Monday.
Higuain was not called up for the match at Marassi, but Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere della Sera claim the decision was preceded by the striker requesting his omission.
That would have been followed by the Rossoneri boss flying into a rage, given he had regularly leapt to the 31-year-old’s defence in the face of criticism.
The newspapers add the Diavolo had also considered fining Higuain but opted otherwise to avoid any more ‘tension’ before their game against Genoa.
The Juventus loanee is thought to be on the verge of joining Chelsea, who hope to have him in time for Thursday’s League Cup semi-final with Tottenham Hotspur