Bayern's Tuchel and the gossips around Alonso

On Wednesday, Bayern announced Tuchel would leave the Bavarian capital in the summer, seemingly staking out a middle ground between firing the coach immediately or pledging to stick with him despite poor recent results.

The Bayern bosses made the call after Sunday's 3-2 loss to Bochum left them eight points behind Xabi Alonso's unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen, with 12 matches to play this season.

Bayern hopes the announcement will galvanise their star-studded squad, many of whom reportedly fell out with the coach. Bayern have already set their sights on Alonso, who played for three seasons in Munich, as Tuchel's replacement.

Alonso told reporters he had "nothing new to say" about the rumours, saying it was "not the right time for me to talk about" the future. Whether or not they secure Alonso's signature, Bayern will hope conjecture around the coach's future will destabilise Leverkusen's push for a first-ever Bundesliga crown.