Man Utd could pull off manager swap as Sir Jim Ratcliffe told to 'hold off talks'

Manchester United and Bayern Munich could conduct a manager swap this summer as Thomas Tuchel prepares to walk away from Bavaria. At the same time, Erik ten Hag faces an uncertain future at Old Trafford, and Bayern are reportedly discussing him as an option to succeed Tuchel.

The Bundesliga giants are among the European heavyweights in the market for a new manager and had identified Ralf Rangnick as a potential replacement.

Rangnick is preparing to lead Austria into Euro 2024 this summer, becoming the nation’s manager two years ago after his disastrous stint as United’s interim boss.

But talks to enter the Allianz Arena dugout next season broke down, with the German coach reaffirming his commitment to Austria.

Bayern’s search for Tuchel’s successor continues after the club announced earlier this year that the former Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea boss would be leaving.

According to BILD, they are now discussing a potential approach for Ten Hag, who could be available this summer after a dismal second season in charge at United.

The report adds that Tuchel would be interested in returning to the Premier League to replace the Dutchman if the opportunity arose.

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A below-par Bundesliga campaign seemingly sealed his fate at Bayern, but another impressive Champions League run has maintained his lofty reputation.

The Bavarians’ semi-final tie against Real Madrid is finely poised at 2-2 ahead of next week’s decider at the Santiago Bernabeu. Tuchel is undefeated at this stage of Europe’s premier competition.

And he is fully focused on keeping that record based on claims that he doesn’t want contact with United about the manager position before the second leg.

Of course, Tuchel guiding Bayern to a seventh Champions League crown would raise questions about whether he should be given the chance to continue in Germany.

However, Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen has confirmed that all that would achieve is a happy ending to his tenure.

“No. You have to judge the decision at the time it was made. It was a different situation,” Dreesen explained.

“Now we have another situation – our clear goal is to reach the final and then hopefully win the Champions League. We would all be happy together, and then we would go our separate ways.”

If Sir Jim Ratcliffe decides to make a fresh start at United this summer, the stars may align for Tuchel to arrive in M16 and Ten Hag to return to Munich after nine years away.