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Munich, Germany | AFP | Thomas Tuchel is the front-runner to succeed Carlo Ancelotti as coach of Bayern Munich amidst media reports on Saturday that contract negotiations are taking place.
According to German daily Bild, the 44-year-old Tuchel is in Munich and in talks to take over at the Bavarian giants having been sacked by current Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund in May.
Bayern Munich ‘in talks’ with former Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel over vacant manager’s position https://t.co/bQ7wbTTvbU pic.twitter.com/KlKjmVk4FG
— Football RightNow (@FootyRightNow) September 30, 2017
Tuchel and Dortmund parted ways despite him steering the club to the German Cup title last season, the coach axed following a turbulent relationship with Borussia’s CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke.
Bayern director of sport Hasan Salihamidzic said on Friday that the club had “no names, no profiles” of who will replace Ancelotti, fired on Thursday in the wake of Bayern’s 3-0 drubbing at Paris Saint-Germain.
“We will now collect our information and then make a decision,” said Salihamidzic.
The 58-year-old Ancelotti spent 15 months in charge of Bayern and won the Bundesliga title last season.
However, he was sacked after the poor performance at PSG when stars Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Mats Hummels were benched.
Ex-Bayern defender Willy Sagnol has been appointed interim coach for Sunday’s German league match at Hertha Berlin.
Should Bayern appoint Tuchel in the coming days, his first match will be against struggling Freiburg on October 14, after the international break.
? Pressetalk mit @Brazzo.
⚽ Erstes Training unter Willy #Sagnol.
? #FCBayernTVNews von der Säbener. #FCBayern #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/49VvJGKTOR— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) September 29, 2017
Julian Nagelsmann, Germany’s coach of the year for 2016, has also been linked to the vacancy but is under contract at Hoffenheim, who are second in the Bundesliga, until 2021.
However, the 30-year-old made no denial when asked about Bayern.
“I’m concentrating on our match at Freiburg on Sunday, so I want to play football better,” said Nagelsmann, whose team lost 2-0 at Bulgaria’s Ludogorets Razgrad in the Europa League on Thursday.
Hoffenheim sports director Alexander Rosen said the chance of Nagelsmann leaving any time soon “is small, but I can’t say how small it is.”
Television pundit and ex-Germany captain Lothar Matthaeus believes Nagelsmann is Bayern’s preferred choice.
“I believe that Nagelsmann is at the top (of Bayern’s list),” Matthaeus told Sky.
Auf geht’s! Abschlusstraining vor #BSCFCB. #packmas pic.twitter.com/qXFt5N4kgp
— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) September 30, 2017
“He is Hoeness’s candidate,” he added, referring to Bayern president Uli Hoeness – the club’s main decision maker.
“The telephone wires between Hoffenheim and Munich will glow, because if you want something, you want the A1 solution.
“And until he comes, you have to find an interim fix.
“Therefore, I don’t believe it will be Tuchel, because he is also a long-term solution.”
