Former Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick is not interested in taking over the helm from Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea.
Pochettino left his role with Chelsea by mutual consent on Tuesday evening. The decision was announced a matter of days after the 52-year-old steered the club to a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League with a last-day victory over Bournemouth, securing European football in the process.
The strong finish looked to have atoned for a volatile debut season under the former Tottenham boss. Chelsea reached the Carabao Cup final but lost to Liverpool, before crashing out of the FA Cup semi-finals at the hands of defending champions Manchester City.
Pochettino could not provide assurances that he would still be at the helm of Chelsea next season when facing the media in his final press conference. He also did not join in on the lap of honour with players and staff around Stamford Bridge.
And so another hunt for a new Chelsea manager begins with several high-profile names touted, including Roberto De Zerbi who recently departed Brighton & Hove Albion, and familiar faces in Jose Mourinho and Thomas Tuchel.
Former Germany manager Flick was another name linked with the vacancy. But according to Sky Sports, the German has no interest in the role. Instead, a potential return to Bayern Munich remains on the cards as the club continue to search for a replacement for Tuchel after one of the club's worst domestic seasons in recent history, finishing third in the Bundesliga.
The 59-year-old is also named as a leading contender to take charge at both Barcelona and Manchester United. According to reports in Spain, Flick is holding out for the job with Barca.
The Spanish giants are considering getting rid of head coach Xavi, who has faced immense scrutiny in an up-and-down term with the club and had previously announced that he would be stepping down before reversing the decision. Barcelona recently nailed down second in La Liga behind Real Madrid to clinch a place at the lucrative Spanish Super Cup in 2025.
Yet, they were knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals by Luis Enrique's Paris Saint-Germain. Further, the relationship between the legendary midfielder and the club's hierarchy looks to be fraying despite an agreement made to keep Xavi just a few weeks ago.
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A decision on the future of Xavi will reportedly be made after Barcelona's game against Sevilla this Sunday.
Flick has been out of a job since his sacking as Germany manager following his side's 4-1 humiliation to Japan in September. The loss marked their fourth in five games.
The dismal tenure arrived after a laudable showing with Bayern, having led the club to seven pieces of silverware including back-to-back Bundesliga titles and the 2019/20 Champions League.
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