Thomas Tuchel has confirmed he will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season following reports he was open to staying as manager.
Bayern announced on Feb. 21 Tuchel was going to leave the club at the end of the campaign. But there were suggestions recently that both the club and manager were looking into the possibility of him potentially staying on, following an outpouring of support for the idea both from fans and players.
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But Tuchel confirmed on Friday that Saturday's match away at Hoffenheim would be his final game in charge of Bayern.
"This is my last press conference on Säbener Strasse [Bayern's training centre]," Tuchel said. "The agreement from February remains. There were further discussions, but we have not found an agreement on further cooperation. That's why the agreement remains."
Tuchel's original contract ran through to 2025, and reports suggested he was looking for an extension through to 2026 if they agreed on him staying.
Talk of him potentially staying at the club came after Bayern were linked with moves for Xabi Alonso and their former manager Julian Nagelsmann. They were also in discussions ex-Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick, but he decided to continue his tenure in charge of Austria.
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Tuchel's announcement on Friday will come as a blow for those players who have supported him in recent weeks. It is also understood that sports director Christoph Freund and director of sport Max Eberl were keen on Tuchel staying.
This follows a turbulent season where Bayern's 11-season reign in charge of the Bundesliga was brought to an end by Bayer Leverkusen. They were knocked out of the DFB-Pokal in the second round to Saarbrücken, and crashed out of the Champions League in the semifinals to Real Madrid.
With Tuchel confirming he will leave the club, Bayern could look at another former manager Hansi Flick as an option to replace him, while they have also been linked with Brighton's Roberto de Zerbi and Man United manager Erik ten Hag