Julian Nagelsmann: "Bayern Munich the only club I wanted to join"
Julian Nagelsmann has revealed his reasons for joining Bayern Munich as head coach in the summer, saying the record champions were the only club he ever considered leaving RB Leipzig for.
Nagelsmann has signed a five-year deal with Bayern, after the record champions granted current boss Hansi Flick's request to have his contract terminated at the end of the current campaign.
The 33-year-old, who is a Bavarian native, told media on Tuesday how the move came about.
"After the game against Hoffenheim, I had a conversation with [Leipzig CEO] Oliver Mintzlaff and received the first contact from Bayern," he recalled. "I explained my desire to switch to Bayern when the concrete offer came in.
"I didn't get the go-ahead right away, and everyone had to think it over. Then I focussed on the game against Stuttgart. On Sunday evening, I clarified the final details with Bayern. Yesterday, everything was sorted out.
"There was interest from other clubs, but I told Oli that I didn’t want to end our agreement for any other club - only for this one. The overall package is something special."
Watch: How Nagelsmann turned Leipzig into Bayern's biggest challengers
Want more Bundesliga Action?
Mintzlaff admits Leipzig would much rather have kept hold of Nagelsmann, but was already acutely aware of the former Hoffenheim coach's ambition to one day take the wheel of Germany's most successful club.
"Of course, this is not what we wanted, but Julian said he wants to fulfill his lifelong dream and become a coach at FC Bayern," he said.
"When we brought him here from Hoffenheim, we discussed whether there were ways for him to get out of his contract. Joining FC Bayern was already a wish of his back then. I remember that conversation."
Mintzlaff later disclosed that Leipzig are in the process of choosing Nagelsmann's successor. Whoever gets the nod, the objective for 2021/22 is clear: "to hunt down Nagelsmann and hunt down Bayern."
Nagelsmann, for his part, said there wasn't enough time to discuss the specifics of his remit at the helm of the 2020 sextuple winners, other than achieving "maximum success".
Until he officially takes the reins from Flick, his focus is purely on the Bundesliga run-in, with Leipzig seven points behind leaders Bayern going into the final three fixtures of the campaign.
Die Roten Bullen also face Borussia Dortmund in the DFB Cup semi-finals on 1 May in their pursuit of a first piece of major silverware.
"I'm happy, but I won't be commenting on the Bayern job for the next few games," Nagelsmann affirmed. "I'm still employed by RB, and we still have important games left to play this season."
Related news
Leverkusen back in title race
The defending champions surged back into the race to retain their Bundesliga crown on Matchday 14, narrowing the gap behind Bayern to just four points.
How do Bayern and Leipzig stack up?
Bayern take on recent rivals Leipzig in their final game before the winter break. The record champions vs. the young pretenders - how do they compare?
Felix Nmecha: "We'll keep fighting"
The Germany international spoke to bundesliga.com about his evolving role, Nuri Şahin and Dortmund's aims for the rest of the season...