Bayern Munich have reportedly sacked head coach Julian Nagelsmann and replaced him with Thomas Tuchel.
Nagelsmann recently guided Bayern into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-0 aggregate win over Paris Saint-Germain, setting up a showdown with Manchester City.
Despite a below-par campaign in the Bundesliga by their own high standards, the success over PSG had seemingly eased any pressure on the 35-year-old.
However, Bayern suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen before the international break, resulting in Borussia Dortmund moving one point ahead in the title race.
With the two fierce rivals meeting at the Allianz Arena upon the resumption of action at the start of April, lifting an 11th successive Bundesliga crown remains in Bayern's hands.
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Nevertheless, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, club officials have sensationally sacked Nagelsmann and already secured the services of Tuchel.
The decision comes despite Bayern having collected 52 points from 25 top-flight fixtures and losing just three times, while Nagelsmann possesses a win percentage of 71.4% from 84 matches in charge.
While the development is yet to be made official, it is claimed that Nagelsmann will depart with immediate effect, allowing Tuchel to be drafted into the role.
Tuchel is now in line to manage his first match against his former club, aware that defeat would see Bayern fall four points adrift of Dortmund with eight matches remaining.
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The 49-year-old has been out of work since being removed from his position as Chelsea head coach in September, Tuchel having won 60 of his 100 fixtures in all competitions.
As well as winning the 2021 Champions League with Chelsea, Tuchel has nearly a decade of experience managing in his homeland at Augsburg II, Mainz 05 and Dortmund.
His solitary piece of silverware in German football is the 2017 DFB-Pokal, although he received widespread plaudits for his time at Mainz where he delivered a fifth and seventh-placed finish in the Bundesliga during his five-season stay.
Tuchel will return to German football after a near six-year absence, initially taking a season off after his Dortmund stint before linking up with Paris Saint-Germain in 2018.
Darren Plant
