The coach of the Austrian football team, 65-year-old Ralf Rangnik, received an offer from Bayern to become the new coach, said the sports director of the Austrian Football Association (OFB) Peter Schotel.
Rangnik, who has a contract with FS Austria until 2026, confirmed this information. Shotel went a step further, telling Austrian public broadcaster ORF that Rangnik informed him and OFB president Klaus Mitterdorfer about the offer on Wednesday.
"If a club like Bayern takes an interest, it's understandable that you think about the interest of this club," said Schottel.
Rangnik has become the favorite to replace Tomas Tuchel, who is leaving at the end of the season, after new German champions Bayer Leverkusen's coach Cabi Alonso and Germany national team coach Julian Nagelsman said they would remain in their positions.
Rangnik is a well-known coaching name in Germany, as he managed several German clubs, among which Leipzig, Schalke, Hoffenheim and Stuttgart stand out, and before taking over the Austrian national team, he was in the position of temporary coach of the first team of Manchester United.
He won the UEFA Intertoto Cup with Stuttgart in 2000, won the German Cup with Schalke in 2011, and won the German Supercup in the same year. With Schalke, he was also the German vice-champion in 2005, and in the same year he also won the then League Cup, which no longer exists today.
He took the Austrian national team to this year's European Championship in Germany, where the Austrians were placed in a difficult group with France, Holland and Poland.
Shotel said that OFB expects Rangnik to be their coach at the EP and pointed out that he invited Rangnik to make a timely decision about his future within "one to two weeks".
"We are close to the European Championship, where we have big goals. Of course, they will also receive a deadline from Bayern, because they also want to be informed," said Shotel and added:
"We have maintained a relationship of trust over the past two years. We will continue to do so. Depending on the direction his decision takes, we will discuss together how to proceed."
Bayern's board member for sporting affairs, Max Eberl, said the club wanted a long-term coach and that a new man should be introduced as soon as possible.
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