Bayern keep quiet over Guardiola speculation
Reuters - Tuesday 15 January 2013, 10:18
Bundesliga
leaders Bayern Munich declined to comment on speculation about a
possible deal with successful former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, who
has confirmed he will return to football after a year off.
"Unfortunately
we will not be commenting on these rumours," a club official told
Reuters when asked about reports that the Spanish coach, who has taken
a sabbatical after a trophy-rich stint at Barca, was close to a deal
with the Bavarians.
Current
coach Jupp Heynckes, who took over in 2011 and steered Bayern to the
Champions League final last season, has yet to win any titles but,
judging by his team's superb performance this season, that could soon
change.
Bayern are top of
the Bundesliga with a nine-point lead after 17 matches with the best
offence and defence of the league, having scored 44 goals while
conceding seven.
The
Bundesliga resumes this week after a month-long winter break and Bayern
also face champions Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup quarter-finals.
They have also advanced in the Champions League to set up a round-of-16 clash with Arsenal next month.
"I
have never commented on rumours - whether they came from Italy or
England - and I will stick with that today as well," Bayern CEO
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told reporters when asked about the reports on
Guardiola.
The 67-year-old
Heynckes, in his third spell at Bayern, has a contract until June and
club boss Uli Hoeness, his close friend, had said he would hold talks
with him early in the year to decide whether he would stay for another
year or not.
Heynckes, who
guided Real Madrid to Champions League victory in 1998, was brought out
of retirement to replace the sacked Jurgen Klinsmann in 2009 for a
handful of season-ending games and returned to Bayern again two years
later.
Bayern's ultimate goal is to win the Champions League after losing twice in the final in the past three seasons.
With Guardiola's stellar record at Barcelona, club bosses could be forgiven for looking towards the 41-year-old Spaniard.
Guardiola,
who stepped down at the end of last term after four triumphant years in
which Barca won 14 of the 19 trophies they contested including two
Champions League crowns and three La Liga titles, has confirmed he will
return to coaching next season.
Bayern
are not the only club in Europe capable of paying his wages and
Guardiola has been linked in media reports with a number of
high-profile management positions, including those at Manchester
United, Manchester City and Chelsea should they become vacant.