- Thomas Tuchel will leave his position as Bayern Munich boss at the end of the season
- Ralf Rangnick will take charge of Austria at the 2024 European Championship
- Phil Foden reveals what it’s REALLY like to play for Pep Guardiola in an It’s All Kicking Off special. Listen on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts
Ralf Rangnick has confirmed that he has ‘been in contact with Bayern Munich’ about a move to the German club if Thomas Tuchel leaves this summer.
The 65-year-old will coach Austria at the 2024 European Championships this summer and while he admitted he will remain ‘fully focused’ on the international side, it appears the German coach is in the running to take charge the Bavarian club.
Bayern announced earlier this season that their current boss, Tuchel, would be leaving the club, amid an indifferent season that saw the Bavarian team miss out on Bundesliga glory for the first time in 11 years.
Rangnick has been working on the international stage since leaving Manchester United after a dismal five-month spell at Old Trafford. But the German coach has now revealed there is a chance he could return to club level.
“There has been contact from Bayern Munich and I have informed the Austrian Football Association,” United’s former interim manager told Austrian newspaper 90 Minutes.
Austrian national coach Ralf Rangnick has confirmed that he has ‘been in contact with Bayern Munich’
Thomas Tuchel will leave the club at the end of the season after an indifferent campaign
Rangnick endured a torrid five-month stint as Manchester United manager in 2021
‘We have a very trusting relationship. My focus is on the Austrian national team. We are fully focused on the European Championships.’
‘I feel very good here. There is currently no reason to work intensively on this.’
The German coach added that he would have to discuss any possible move with the Austrian FA first.
‘When Bayern says: ‘we want you’. And then I would also have to ask myself: ‘Do I really want this?’. If I want to do something different, I will first discuss it with the Austrian Football Association,” Rangnick said.
Bayern are one of many clubs, including Liverpool, currently looking for a new manager.
The 32-time Bundesliga champions have reportedly had several names on their manager shortlist, including Unai Emery, Xabi Alonso and Julian Nagelsmann – all of whom have seemingly turned down the chance to move to the club.
Tuchel had agreed a two-year deal to manage Bayern in 2023, but that contract was cut short by the club. His team won 21 games this season, drew three times and lost six games in the Bundesliga.
Rangnick, meanwhile, had endured a dismal tenure at Man United, winning ten games, drawing seven and losing seven. While Erik ten Hag worked to lay the foundation at United, Rangnick was seen by some United players as a stopgap, with United similarly abandoning a two-year plan to keep him at the club.
Unai Emery has seemingly denied rumors that he could take charge of the German club
Xabi Alonso has also indicated that he will stay at Bayer Leverkusen this summer
Rangnick said he will have to think about whether he wants to take over at Bayern before making a decision
Interestingly, the German had not actually managed a team before joining Man United, having worked as RB Leipzig boss between 2018 and 2019.
Austria will take on France in the opening match of their Euro 2024 campaign in June, before playing Poland and the Netherlands.