Mario Balotelli wants AC Milan head coach Allegri to stay

Mario Balotelli has urged AC Milan to do everything they can to keep hold of head coach Massimiliano Allegri.

Allegri, 45, has been linked with Roma after reports suggesting former Milan midfielders Clarence Seedorf or Mark van Bommel might get his job.

"I hope he stays, as I'm really happy with him," Balotelli told Mediaset after the 1-0 win against Torino that maintained AC's Champions League hopes.

"If I were the club, I'd do everything to keep hold of him."

On Saturday, Milan issued a statement denying rumours Allegri had agreed a three-year contract with Roma.

Allegri won the Serie A title in his first season in charge at the San Siro in 2010-11, and his side finished runners-up to Juventus last year. His future is now believed to hinge on whether he can secure entry into Europe's premier club competition.

The Rossoneri currently enjoy a four-point advantage in the final qualification spot with three games to go, after Balotelli's ninth goal in 10 top-flight fixtures since his January move from Manchester City saw them past Torino. Fourth-placed Fiorentina lost to Roma.

Much of the doubt around the former Cagliari boss's position came after Milan endured their worst ever start to a league campaign following a summer that saw the sale of star names such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva, who both joined big-spending French side Paris St-Germain.

"I'd be happy with the 41 points won in the second half of the season," Allegri told his club's website.

"In the last 26 years, Milan have always been playing at the top end of the table but this year it's been difficult, especially at the start. We dropped a lot of points but the club and team stuck together and worked hard and now the results have improved."