Thomas Tuchel is ‘keen to replace Xavi at Barcelona this summer’ as he eyes move to Spain amid uncertainty over his Bayern Munich future after humiliating 3-0 defeat at title rivals Bayer Leverkusen

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel has reportedly registered interest in replacing Xavi at Barcelona this summer.

Xavi revealed last month that he will be stepping down from his position at the end of the season, leaving the Catalan giants looking for his successor.

And former Chelsea boss Tuchel has offered himself to Barcelona to take over in the dugout ahead of next season, according to Mundo Deportivo.

Tuchel spoke glowingly about LaLiga in a recent interview as he talked up the prospect of coaching in Spain one day.

‘Moving abroad would appeal to me again,’ he admitted. ‘Spain has an extraordinary league. 

Xavi is set to step down at the end of the season after two-and-a-half years in charge

‘From my perspective, and based on my experience working with Spaniards, they are characterised by a tremendous amount of self-confidence.

‘When you speak with Spanish players, you quickly get the sense that you are engaging with the person.’

This led to speculation linking him with the Barcelona job, but Bayern quickly moved to quash these rumours.

A club statement read: ‘Our head coach Thomas Tuchel was asked by supporters on Sunday as part of a fan club visit about his coaching career and his previous experiences abroad at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, and naturally provided information about this during the discussion.

‘He also answered general questions from fans about Spain as a footballing country. He never spoke about Xavi Hernández and his successor, as was falsely claimed afterwards.

‘We will no longer accept such non-factual statements directed against our coach, which always come from the same source.’

But Mundo Deportivo have reported that Tuchel is keen on managing Barcelona, and his prospects of landing the job could be helped by president Joan Laporta being a fan of German coaches.

Tuchel has been at Bayern for less than a year and is contracted until June 2025, but there is uncertainty surrounding his future as the club’s strangehold on the Bundesliga is in jeopardy.

Tuchel faces an uncertain future at Bayern Munich after his side lost 3-0 to Bayer Leverkusen

Bayern were beaten 3-0 by Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday to fall five points behind their rivals in the title race.

The club’s CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen insisted Bayern are not considering sacking Tuchel, but the pressure is mounting on the 50-year-old.

A sign at Bayern’s training ground was defaced with a message reading ‘Tuchel out’ over the weekend, highlighting that all is not well in Bavaria right now.

This may lead to Tuchel and Bayern parting ways, which could free up the former to move to Barcelona to help them return to competing for domestic and European honours.