Former Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui is now in the frame to succeed Thomas Tuchel as Bayern Munich boss.
Lopetegui has been out of a job since leaving Molineux on the eve of this season and has recently been in advanced talks with West Ham about replacing David Moyes. However, he is still being targeted by Bayern. According to Florian Plettenberg, the 57-year-old is not at the top of the Bundesliga side’s list but they have asked about his availability.
Tuchel’s exit at the end of the season was confirmed back in February, with Bayern playing second fiddle to Bayer Leverkusen in Germany this term. The interest in Lopetegui stems from the fact Ralf Rangnick declined the offer to replace Tuchel at the Allianz Arena. Rangnick will instead remain in his role as manager of the Austria national team.
Lopetegui is no stranger to a high-profile job. He managed the Spanish national team after enjoying success at Porto, before taking charge of Real Madrid in 2018. He lasted just 138 days at the Bernabeu but was still appointed by Sevilla the following summer.
Tuchel has said “everything is possible” with regard to a potential U-turn and him staying in Bavaria beyond this season. However, any chance of that hinges on Bayern’s crucial Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid next Wednesday after a 2-2 draw in Munich. As such, tomorrow’s Bundesliga fixture at Stuttgart should see the current boss rest a number of key players.
Credit: Goal.com
