MUNICH (AP) – Austrian coach Ralf Rangnick has confirmed he is a candidate to coach Bayern Munich next season.
“Bayern Munich contacted me,” Rangnick told Austrian website 90minuten.at in an interview carried by German media on Wednesday.
The German coach said he had informed the Austrian Football Federation of Bayern's interest, but added: “At the moment there is no reason to deal with it intensively or concretely.”
When asked when that moment will be, Rangnick replied: “When Bayern say: 'We want you'.” And he has to ask himself, “Do I really want this?'' ”
Bayern Munich are looking for a new manager as manager Thomas Tuchel is set to leave the German powerhouse club at the end of this season.
After missing out on the Bundesliga title, Bayern face the prospect of a trophyless season for the first time since 2012. Tuchel's side are still in contention to qualify for the Champions League and will face Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
Rangnick has emerged as one of the candidates to replace Tuchel at Bayern, who have suffered the disgrace of three high-profile refusals in recent weeks.
Xabi Alonso remains at Bayer Leverkusen, who beat Bayern to win the German title, and former Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann extends his contract with the German national team until the 2026 World Cup, after which he becomes another candidate. Unai Emery has reportedly chosen to remain at Aston Villa. on tuesday.
After his troubled six-month spell at Manchester United ended in 2022, Rangnick restored his reputation with an outstanding performance as Austria's manager.
Rangnick's team easily qualified for the European Championship, with Austria facing France, Poland and the Netherlands in the group stage. Austria defeated Nagelsmann's Germany in a friendly in November, and defeated Turkey 6-1 last month.
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