Gennaro Gattuso is set to leave his role as head coach of AC Milan.
The news comes after the club failed to qualify for Champions League football next year, despite finishing the season with a 3-2 victory over SPAL on Sunday.
They came fifth this season, one point behind city rivals Inter but 22 behind Champions Juventus.
It’s the highest finish they’ve enjoyed since their 2012/13 campaign.
The former Milan midfielder’s contract was not due to run out until 2021.
According to Italian newspaper Repubblica the 41-year-old has described this as a “painful but thoughtful choice”.
He reportedly won’t be taking any compensation saying his “story with Milan can never be a question of money."
Gattuso has said there was no exact moment he decided to leave but rather he came to the realisation he had to step away over a period of time.
"There was not a precise moment in which I decided, it was the sum of these 18 months as coach of a team that for me will never be like the others. Months that I lived with great passion, unforgettable months.”
Gattuso had been in charge at The Rossoneri since November 2017 when he replaced Vincenzo Montella.
As a player at the San Siro Gattuso won the Serie A twice, the Coppa Italia and two Champions Leagues between 1999 and 2012.
Following his departure from Milan he briefly played for and managed Swiss club Sion.
He had been linked with a move back to his former club Rangers, where he played in the 90s, but the deal fell through due to financial difficulties at the Scottish outfit.
He earned 73 international caps during his career, including representing his country in their successful 2006 World Cup campaign.
Gattuso was man of the match in the Italian’s 3-0 victory over the Ukraine at the quarter-final stage.
He made the tournament's All-Star Team.
There has been recent speculation he may manage in the Premier League next season.
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