Leipzig (dpa) – Julian Nagelsmann appears to be Bayern Munich’s first choice to replace want-away coach Hansi Flick and the 33-year-old has indicated his desire to leave current club RB Leipzig.
Nagelsmann has asked to be released from his contract, Kicker magazine has reported, while the Bild newspaper claim he has already agreed terms with Bayern.
That would leave only an agreement between the clubs to be found with Leipzig demanding a record fee of 30 million euros (36.3 million dollars) for their highly sought after coach, sources told dpa.
Nagelsmann, like Flick, is currently contracted to 2023 without a buy-out clause in his deal.
Bayern are casting the net as treble-winning coach Hansi Flick has asked to be released from his contract. He has been suggested as a possible successor to Germany coach Joachim Loew after Euro 2020.
The clubs are yet to comment on the issue but Leipzig did confirm that the contract of sports director Markus Kroesche will be terminated “by mutual agreement” after the season.
They could also soon lose rising star Nagelsmann as Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge wants a speedy resolution to the Flick matter and confirmed it had been agreed talks would take place this week.
“If we want to grant Hansi’s wish then all parties must find a solution with which FC Bayern can be satisfied,” Rummenigge has said.
Nagelsmann has said he hasn’t held talks with Bayern and that he wouldn’t “start a war with my employer.” But his statements didn’t dismiss speculation about a possible move to Munich.
Leipzig trail leaders Bayern by seven points with three games remaining in the Bundesliga as Bayern are close to a ninth straight title.
However, Leipzig are in the German Cup semi-finals where they face Werder Bremen on Friday and with Bayern eliminated have an excellent chance of securing a maiden title for both club and coach.
The eastern Germans paid 5 million euros two years ago to get Nagelsmann from Hoffenheim, where he began his Bundesliga coaching career aged only 28, the youngest in league history.
Borussia Dortmund had to pay the same sum to Borussia Moenchengladbach to get helmsman Marco Rose in summer while Gladbach had to agree to spend 7.5 million euros to get Eintracht Frankfurt’s Adi Huetter.
Frankfurt are also losing sports director Fredi Bobic to Hertha Berlin but Kroesche is said to be in the running to replace him, even more now that his contract until 2022 is being terminated.
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