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Bayern Munich have reportedly set their sights on former Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick if they fail to pursue Xabi Alonso.
The German giants are locked in a head-to-head battle with Liverpool for the services of the Bayern Leverkusen boss, who has guided his side to the eve of their first-ever Bundesliga title.
Alonso can still choose to stay at the BayArena, where he can still win the German Cup and the Europa League.
According to German outlet Kicker it is Bayern remain hopeful of replacing Thomas Tuchel with the Spaniard, but they have still found it necessary to find an alternative in case they cannot find their man this summer.
The report further claims that the club are monitoring Rangnick, who is currently in charge of Austria, following his ill-fated spell at Old Trafford.
Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso is wanted for soon-to-be vacant jobs at Bayern and Liverpool
Ralf Rangnick prepares to lead Austria at the 2024 European Championships after their impressive qualifying campaign
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Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi is another name on the candidate list, although the Italian, whose appointment is said to be championed by one of the club’s sporting directors, Max Eberl, may miss out because he does not speak German.
The report notes that: ‘German is not absolutely necessary for Bayern’s new coach, but is desirable according to management.’
The links to Rangnick may seem strange to Premier League fans given his time at Old Trafford.
The 65-year-old won just 11 of his 29 games as United boss, drawing nine and losing nine, after coming in as interim boss following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
At the time, he did not endear himself to large sections of the club’s supporters towards the end of the 2021/22 season with several scathing assessments of his players. But in light of the team’s ongoing struggles, some of his observations have proven astute.
The German is still highly respected in his native country, having influenced a generation of managers and also achieving success as a sporting director.
Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi could reportedly be left out of the bill because he does not speak German
Rangnick went through a difficult period at Manchester United at the end of the 2021/2022 season
However, in the past decade, his only other managerial spell at club level was at RB Leipzig between 2015 and 2019.
He oversaw the side’s promotion to the top flight in 2016, before leading them to two top-four finishes in three seasons.
Rangnick is preparing to lead Austria at EURO 2024 after an impressive qualifying campaign which saw them finish just one point behind Group F winners Belgium.