Thomas Tuchel is reportedly interested in returning to the Premier League for the 2024-25 campaign.
Although it was claimed at the weekend that there were no plans to part company with Tuchel, Bayern announced on Wednesday that the parties would go their separate ways at the end of the season.
The decision has been made on the back of Bayern suffering four defeats in their last seven games in all competitions, leaving them eight points adrift of Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
Furthermore, Bayern trail Lazio by a 1-0 aggregate scoreline ahead of the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the Allianz Arena next month.
As it stands, it appears that Tuchel will see out the campaign in Bavaria, yet there is naturally already speculation regarding his next move.
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The 50-year-old has already been linked with a switch to Barcelona with that position also due to become vacant when Xavi exits his role at the end of the season.
Nevertheless, according to The Telegraph, Tuchel's preference is a return to the Premier League, where he has previously managed Chelsea.
After replacing Frank Lampard in January 2021, Tuchel guided the Blues to a Champions League trophy later that year, but he was surprisingly sacked in September 2022, soon after the arrival of new owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
A return to Stamford Bridge is highly unlikely, yet Tuchel is seemingly ready to throw his hat into the ring for other jobs that may become available in the summer.
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With Jurgen Klopp departing Liverpool, Tuchel is a natural candidate to replace his compatriot, while speculation will persist regarding Erik ten Hag's position at Manchester United as long as the Red Devils remain out of the top five in the Premier League table.
More recently, it has been suggested that West Ham United could target Tuchel to replace David Moyes, who is out of contract at the end of the season.
As it stands, there no other realistic alternatives, yet the report suggests that the Football Association may consider Tuchel as a potential replacement for Gareth Southgate should he leave his role with England.
In the short term, Tuchel is preparing his Bayern side to play host to RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga on Saturday evening, with that fixture effectively a must-win given the relentless form of Leverkusen.
Darren Plant
