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AC Milan midfielder Luka Modric – who turns 41 in September – has signed a one-year contract extension.

The Croatian joined Milan last summer on a one-year deal with an option to extend after leaving Real Madrid.

After 13 years at the Bernabeu, Modric scored two goals in 37 appearances for Milan in a season when they finished fifth in Serie A and only reached the last-16 stage of the Coppa Italia.

“I am thrilled to stay at AC Milan, where you made me feel welcomed and loved from the very first day,” Modric said of his new deal.

“After a season below our expectations, the desire to bounce back is immense. A new season and a new challenge await us – a project I believe in and that motivates me.

“I’m ready to continue to give everything again for this shirt and I’m so proud to keep wearing these colours. Can’t wait to return to San Siro and feel your roar.”

Modric has just played in his fifth World Cup, in which Croatia were knocked out in the last 32 by Portugal.

Since Modric became national team captain in 2016, Croatia had previously been runners-up and finished third in the World Cup.

The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner won six Champions League titles and four La Liga titles at Real. Previously, he made 160 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur over four years in north London.

In Milan this season, he will play under former Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim, who replaced the sacked Massimiliano Allegri in June.

In a statement, Milan said: “A key figure in the Rossoneri midfield since his arrival, Luka has brought his experience and quality to the service of the team, both on and off the pitch, with humility and great passion.

“One of the finest and most iconic players in world football, the Croatian will continue his journey in the Rossoneri shirt with the ambition to reach new, important milestones.”

FORGET garden centres, DIY jobs and lazy weekends at home – a growing number of Brits are flying to European cities for just a few hours before heading home the very same day.

Called “extreme day tripping,” the new trend is thanks to cheap return flights costing less than a meal out.

These adventurous travellers manage to squeeze in croissants in Paris, canal cruises in Amsterdam and pizza in Milan without booking a hotel room.

Lisa Houston, from Edinburgh, caught the extreme day trip bug after taking her son to Paris in January.

“My son had recently split up from his girlfriend and I wanted to give him something completely different to look forward to,” she said.

“He hadn’t been abroad since he was seven, so I surprised him with a day trip to Paris.

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“We saw Les Invalides: Napoleon’s Tomb, sailed down the Seine, ate croissants in a little Parisian cafe and stood gazing at the Eiffel Tower. He absolutely loved it.”

The pair flew out at 7am and returned home the same evening.

“The flights were about £100 each, but you can often get them much cheaper,” Lisa said. “It was enough time to enjoy the city without feeling rushed.”

The trip sparked a love for Lisa and has since ticked off Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Milan and Dublin, with Barcelona, Paris and Poland still to come later this year.

One of her biggest bargains was Copenhagen, where she managed to secure return flights for just £34.

After spotting photos of the colourful waterfront district of Nyhavn on Instagram, Lisa booked the trip and spent the day exploring the Danish capital.

“By lunchtime I was sitting outside a cafe with Nyhavn behind me,” she said.

Despite the early starts – often leaving home before 3am to catch the first flight – Lisa insists it’s worth every minute.

“I treat the whole day as the adventure, not just being in the destination,” she said.

Like other Extreme Day Trippers, Lisa gets some inspiration from a Facebook Group of like-minded people but said the appeal fitting in holidays around busy schedules.

“I’ve got a busy job, a granddaughter living with me, elderly parents and caring responsibilities,” she said.

“Sometimes I just need a day that’s all about me. Telling people that I’m ‘off to Paris to have lunch’ is my vibe these days.”

She estimates most of her trips cost around £150 in total, including flights, food and attractions.

“I think it’s brilliant value for money – in a couple of hours you’re somewhere you’ve never been before, seeing things you’ve only dreamed of. That’s priceless.”

Another Extreme Day Tripper is Emily Benham from Essex, who recently flew to Pisa with her daughter for the day.

“We left home at 4am and arrived in Pisa at 11am,” she said.

“Our flights were £125 each – I would have preferred them to be £75 or under as I think part of the fun is keeping it as cheap as possible but my daughter chose the destination and it was worth it.”

“A highlight was seeing the Leaning Tower for the first time. It was breath-taking.”

The pair spent eight hours exploring the city, visiting the cathedral, eating pizza and wandering the back streets before heading home that evening.

“It was my first extreme day trip and I’ve already booked another one to Frankfurt with my brother and sister,” she said.

For Cassie Goodfellow, from Bathgate, an extreme day trip was the perfect way to celebrate turning 40.

After spotting inspiration online, she booked a return flight to Copenhagen and spent 12 hours exploring the city solo.

“Most people thought I was a bit crazy,” she admitted.

“They couldn’t understand why I’d travel abroad for just a day or the fact I was doing it solo, But the memories and experience made it worthwhile.”

Flights cost just £63 return, while her total spend for the day came to around £160.

“The highlight was wandering Copenhagen’s beautiful streets and landmarks,” she said.

“I was surprised by how much I managed to fit into one day.”

Looking back, she says it was one of the best things she has ever done.

“There’s something exciting about proving you can have a meaningful travel experience in a single day,” she said.

“I’m already thinking about where to go next.”

Mauricio Pochettino has held initial talks with AC Milan to become their next manager following Massimiliano Allegri’s sacking.

The 54-year-old Argentine is currently preparing for the World Cup with the United States, but his contract expires after the tournament.

Pochettino’s immediate focus is on this summer’s finals, which begin on 11 June and are being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, but an eventual return to club football may interest the former Tottenham and Chelsea head coach.

However, speaking after training on Thursday, Pochettino replied “no” when asked if he had met with AC Milan’s management before being opaque about his representatives’ dealings with the Serie A side.

When asked if his representatives had had a meeting, he replied: “Maybe, possible, because they need to do their job.”

He added: “If I met someone, what happened? What is going to change if I met someone?

“We have friends everywhere and my representative works for me into trying to find the best possibility for the future. That is normal.”

Pochettino said he and US Soccer Federation chief executive JT Batson had discussed the possibility of him staying.

“He asked if we are open to listen [to] the project of the federation for the next four years,” said Pochettino.

“And we said of course we are open. Do you think that if we have a commitment with another people, we are going to waste time to listen?”

Batson said Pochettino has been “incredibly transparent” about approaches from other clubs, right from when they first met a couple of years ago, and that “there were lots of people interested in Mauricio and his team”.

Batson added: “He had standing offers from other places and he wanted to be here. He’s a big believer in what we’re doing at US Soccer. He’s a big believer in soccer in America, and he’s a big believer in this men’s team.”

Pochettino’s last club spell was as Chelsea boss for the 2023-24 season, with the Blues finishing sixth in the Premier League and losing the Carabao Cup final to Liverpool.

Before that he was at Paris St-Germain for a season and a half, winning the Ligue 1 title and French Cup.

He also had a five-and-a-half-year spell at Tottenham and reached the 2019 Champions League final, only for Spurs to lose 2-0 to Liverpool.

Pochettino, who has also managed Espanyol in Spain and Southampton, was a defender during his playing career and made 20 appearances for Argentina.

AC Milan sacked Allegri earlier this week after failing to qualify for the Champions League, in a season the club’s hierarchy described as an “unequivocal failure”.

Milan dropped from third place to fifth in Serie A after a 2-1 home defeat by Cagliari on the final day to miss out on the elite European competition for the second year in a row, although they did secure a Europa League spot.

Inter Milan win their 21st Scudetto, edging Napoli, with three matches remaining in the Italian football league season.

Celebrations have erupted across Milan after Inter clinched the Serie A title with a 2-0 victory over Parma, sending thousands of supporters into the streets.

The Piazza del Duomo was filled with fans clad in blue and black on Sunday, moments after the final whistle at the nearby San Siro, as flares and fireworks lit up the night sky.

Marcus Thuram opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time before Henrikh Mkhitaryan sealed the win 10 minutes from time. The winners moved up to 82 points and clinched their 21st Scudetto with three matches remaining in the campaign.

Inter entered the match knowing a point would be enough after second-placed Napoli were held to a 0-0 draw at Como on Saturday, and their own result the next day handed them an unbeatable 12-point lead at the top.

Despite the scarcity of clear-cut chances, Inter controlled much of the first half and established themselves deep in the Parma half.

The hosts came close in the 25th minute when a powerful close-range shot from Nicolo Barella struck the underside of the bar. The rebound then hit Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki on the back, but the Japan international reacted quickly to tip the ball away from near the line and out of danger.

Thuram sparked a frenzy among the home supporters in first-half stoppage time, slotting home after being found unmarked by a Piotr Zielinski through ball to put Inter ahead.

The second half followed a similar pattern with Inter remaining in control but failing to capitalise on their dominance as supporters inside the stadium grew increasingly focused on the clock ticking to 90 minutes.

Federico Dimarco delivered a near-perfect cross to Denzel Dumfries in the closing stages, but the defender failed to control his first touch, sending the close-range effort high over the bar and missing the chance to seal the match.

Mkhitaryan sealed the victory 10 minutes from time, tapping in a low cross from Lautaro Martinez to secure the points and spark title celebrations among Inter supporters.

For Inter, the triumph offered redemption after the heartbreak of last season when the club lost the Serie A title on the last match day before a 5-0 thrashing by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.

“We feel so happy now. It was not easy to start again after a season where we lost all the competitions we were in right at the end, but I am very happy today with this achievement,” Martinez said.

“It was a very important objective for us, perhaps many didn’t see us being favourites considering what happened last term, but we worked so hard on and off the field.”

The atmosphere in the Italian metropolis stood in stark contrast to a year ago when supporters faced the combined heartbreak of losing the league title to Napoli on the final day and suffering defeat in the Champions League final.

“I have no words. In spite of everyone who jinxed us from start to finish. Go Inter, always,” Inter fan Fabio said. “Wonderful. Amazing. And compared to how it ended last year, this year we deserve everything.”

Many supporters were seen in tears at the celebrations.

“It was more than deserved. It was a difficult league season at the start because it was always there, neck and neck,” fellow Inter fan Federico said.

The festivities are expected to continue ahead of the Coppa Italia final on May 13 when Lazio stand in the way of a domestic double for Inter.

An estimated five million people travel from the UK to Italy on holiday each year – and chef Vincenzo Prosperi has named the one authentic city that should be on every traveller’s radar

An Italian chef has highlighted an “authentic” city worth visiting – and it’s not Milan, Venice or Florence. The recommendation comes as roughly five million Britons jet off to Italy for holidays each year.

While countless holidaymakers head for coastal spots like Puglia or Rimini, the nation is equally renowned for its stunning city escapes. According to chef Vincenzo Prosperi, known as Vincenzo Plates online, there’s one particular city that offers a genuine taste of Italy.

Vincenzo champions Bari on the Adriatic Sea as an “old town where the nonnas make pasta on the sea”. In a YouTube video, he said: “A really wonderful city.

“It has really improved in the last 10 years. It is one of the best places to see in the south of Italy. This is authentic, this is great.”

Boasting just over 315,000 residents, Bari ranks amongst the most significant cities in southern Italy. It serves as both a breathtaking Mediterranean port and a thriving university hub, reports the Express.

Bari divides into separate districts. The old town, known as Bari Vecchia, comprises a maze of ancient streets housing the historic Basilica of Saint Nicholas, which originates from the 11th century.

The delightful Piazza del Ferrarese gazes out over the Augusto Imperatore waterfront while its palm-lined avenues provide the ideal fusion of historic town and contemporary seafront. Its name derives from a Ferrara merchant who resided there during the 1600s and maintained his warehouses on the square.

Remnants of a Roman road stretching back to the 2nd century lie cordoned off on the piazza. Nowadays tourists can savour a peaceful moment while observing the vibrant boats gently rocking in the harbour.

Meanwhile, the Murak Quarter, constructed under Joachim Murat, serves as the pulsating centre of contemporary Bari. It’s renowned for its orderly grid pattern of streets, thriving retail area, and lively café scene.

Its energetic character stands in stark contrast to the ancient old town. Travel authority Mark Wolters advises that anyone visiting Bari must head to Strada Arco Bass where residents prepare orecchiette pasta right on the street.

In a YouTube video, he said: “When you come here, you’re going to see there’s a street where all these grandmas, all these ladies, are making orecchiette, they’re making a special kind of pasta from here.”

He added: “We bought two bags for like five euros and it was so worth it. We got to see the lady and she was making them and they had them out there, it was a really cool thing.”

Mark also urges travellers to Bari to try the focaccia barese – a bread crafted from mashed potato and semolina flour. He said: “Focaccia is like a really fluffy, almost like a pizza-bread dough bread, and in it they put tomatoes and olives and it is fantastic, it’s a really special one from here.”

The expert advises that anyone keen on embarking on a road trip around the wider Puglia region should pick up a hire car at Bari airport before exploring the surrounding area. He explains that you “don’t want to drive” in the city itself, particularly around the old town.

Flights from the UK to Bari start at around £70 on Skyscanner. During the summer months, temperatures can soar to as high as 30C, with May typically seeing highs of around 23C.