"Would appeal to me" - Thomas Tuchel hints at interest in managing Barcelona amid reports of plans to leave Bayern Munich

Thomas Tuchel has hinted at taking the Barcelona job after Xavi announced his decision to leave at the end of the season. The German manager claimed that a move abroad is appealing to him once again and that he was thinking of Spain.

Speaking to SPORT1, Tuchel said he liked working with Spaniards and is looking to work with them in the future. He hinted that his time at Bayern Munich was coming to an end and said (via GOAL):

"Moving abroad would appeal to me again. Spain has an extraordinary league. 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, I quickly get the sense that you are engaging with the person."

Tuchel was appointed by Bayern Munich a year ago, just months after he was sacked by Chelsea. Reports suggest the Bundesliga champions are looking to appoint Xabi Alonso as the replacement.

Xavi announces decision to leave Barcelona

Xavi has announced his decision to leave Barcelona at the end of the season. He claimed that it was time for a change at the club and it was ideal for him to step aside.

He said (via GOAL):

"I will leave Barcelona in June. We have reached a point of no return. It's time for change. As a Culé, I think that it's time to leave. I spoke with the board and the club today. I will leave on the 30th of June. I took this decision days ago. I already knew it. But it's time to make it public. I think the players could not free themselves up."

He added:

"I don't want to be a problem for the club, but the opposite. Right now, if I think with my head and think about the club, the solution and the best thing is for me to leave in June, that is how I feel. We have just agreed that with the president (Joan Laporta). We have a president who is brilliant. Him, Rafa Yuste, (sporting director), Deco…everyone is really capable."

Barcelona are currently third, 11 points behind leaders Girona and 10 points behind Real Madrid, in the league table. They are already out of the Copa Del Rey and lost the Supercopa de Espana to Los Blancos this month.