Austria manager Ralf Rangnick has confirmed he has held talks with Bayern Munich over becoming their next head coach.
Bayern are searching for a new head coach with Thomas Tuchel set to depart at the end of the campaign.
Rangnick told Austrian outlet 90minuten that Bayern have approached him over the position, and while he did not appear to rule out a move, the 65-year-old indicated that he’d need to weigh several factors before reaching a decision.
“Bayern Munich have contacted me and I have also informed the OFB (Austrian Football Association),” Ragnick said. “We have a very trusting relationship. My focus is on the Austrian national team.
“We are completely focussed on the European Championship. I feel very comfortable here. At the moment, there’s no reason for me to focus intensively and specifically on that”.
Pressed on when that ‘moment’ could be, he added: “The moment Bayern would say, ‘We want you’. And then I have to ask myself, ‘Do I even want this?’
“If I want to do something else, I will first discuss it with the OFB.
“We want to look after this team (Austria) as well as possible — and do as well as possible. I have a close and trusting relationship with my team. It won’t play better just because I say, ‘I’ll definitely be here for the next four years.’”
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Asked whether a potential move could be financially related, he said: “No, that doesn’t matter to me at all. For me it’s about other things: can I make a difference? Is there a chance of developing a team and being successful? That’s what drives me. When that no longer motivates me, it’s time to retire.”
Rangnick spent seven months in charge of Manchester United on an interim basis in the 2021-22 season, before becoming the manager of Austria’s men’s national team on a two-year deal which expired this year. That deal, though, was automatically extended through to the 2026 World Cup after Austria sealed Euro 2024 qualification having finished in second place in Group F, behind Belgium and ahead of Sweden, winning six of their eight matches.
Rangnick boasts an extensive managerial background, having taken charge of Hannover, Schalke, Hoffenheim, and RB Leipzig. Additionally, he notably guided the lesser-known German club Ulm to their inaugural Bundesliga appearance at the turn of the century.
He has also excelled as a director of football, serving Red Bull Salzburg and Leipzig from 2012 until 2020. Amid these roles, he also briefly assumed managerial duties at Leipzig before becoming manager of sports and development for Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow in 2021.
Bayer Leverkusen, meanwhile, ended Bayern’s 11-year run as champions earlier this month while the Munich side also lost the German Supercup to Leipzig and exited the DFB-Pokal in the second round after defeat by third-tier FC Saarbrucken.
Tuchel’s side remain in the Champions League, however, and will face Real Madrid in the last four after knocking out Arsenal in the quarter-finals.
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(GEORG HOCHMUTH/APA/AFP via Getty Images)
