After Julian Nagelsmann signed a contract extension with DFB, Bayern Munich turned their attention to appointing Ralf Rangnick as the replacement for Thomas Tuchel in the summer. The German head coach has already confirmed the approach from Bayern for this role.
The Bavarian club wants to announce the new coach by the end of April. They will hold further talks with Rangnick to reach an agreement on a contract. Bayern will start discussions with the Austrian federation once they get the green signal from Rangnick.
The negotiations with the Austrian federation will not be straightforward. Bayern are expecting to pay a seven-digit fee. According to TZ, the Austrian federation will use the fee paid by Bayern to sign Julian Nagelsmann in 2021 as the benchmark for negotiations for Rangnick.
The record Bundesliga champions had paid a fee worth €15 million to RB Leipzig to sign Nagelsmann. If things had gone as planned for Nagelsmann at Bayern, Leipzig would have activated add-ons that would have taken the final fee to €25 million.
Rangnick’s contract with the Austrian federation expires in 2026. They have the leverage to ask for a decent fee. It remains to be seen if Bayern will again pay such a significant fee for a coach.
It will be a strange appointment for Bayern since Rangnick has not consistently managed at the club level in the last five years. His stint at Manchester United was a disaster. Austria has qualified for the Euros under him, but managing an international team is a different ball game altogether.
Rangnick does have significant experience of managing teams in the Bundesliga. He has successful coaching stints at Hoffenheim, Schalke, and RB Leipzig. However, those stints came a long time ago, and his best work since his last gig in the Bundesliga has been in administrative roles. The appointment of the 65-year-old coach doesn’t scream a long-term plan at Bayern.
Meanwhile, Bayern fans have filed an online petition to urge the club to retain Thomas Tuchel beyond this season. After failed moves for Xabi Alonso and Julian Nagelsmann, the Bavarian faithful believe that sticking with Tuchel will be the sensible decision. Several Bayern fans are skeptical of Rangnick's appointment.
However, Tuchel has ruled out a change in plan. Bayern are also sticking with their decision regarding the former Chelsea head coach. Tuchel wants to end his spell at Die Roten with the Champions League as they await a semi-final clash against Real Madrid. The Bavarian club will face Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday before the first leg against Real Madrid on Tuesday.