Chelsea assistant coach Anthony Barry has handed in a request to be allowed to leave the Blues to join Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich.
Tuchel has taken over from Julian Nagelsmann at the Bundesliga giants in an attempt to save their season. They sit a point behind Borussia Dortmund in the German top-flight and have an upcoming Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City.
The Bayern job is Tuchel's first return to management since he was sacked by Chelsea in September. Part of his gameplan for turning Bayern's season around is to bring Barry to the Allianz Arena, having worked closely with him during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Barry has been part of the Blues' backroom staff since the summer of 2020. Tuchel took over from Frank Lampard later that season, leading Chelsea to that season's Champions League.
And he is now keen to be reunited with Barry at Bayern, with the assistant coach highly-rated in the footballing world. According to BILD, Barry is also ready to link back up with Tuchel.
It is reported that Barry has 'already submitted' a transfer request to leave the Blues and join Bayern. Chelsea are demanding compensation in return for their agreement though, with negotiations ongoing.
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Tuchel has already added Arno Michels and Zslot Low to his coaching staff, with Nagelsmann's goalkeeping coach Michael Rechner remaining in his post. But the German is also keen to complete his staff by bringing Barry to Germany.
Barry is said to be considered to be an 'absolute expert' and recently joined Roberto Martinez's coaching staff with the Portugal national team. At his introductory press conference, Tuchel confidently assured reporters that Barry would be joining him.
"We hope that we will get Anthony, who is currently still under contract with Chelsea. We fight for it! And we're confident because it's my absolute wish. We will start with the three assistants next week,” he said.
"It's an honour and a distinction to be approached by Bayern. My express thanks for the trust placed in me go to Oliver Kahn, Hasan Salihamidžić, Herbert Hainer and Uli Hoenes.
"When you work abroad for a while, you become even more aware of the importance of Bayern. The club's DNA involves a commitment. Bayern is about winning, also about the way of winning.
"The squad is one of the most talented and best squads in Europe. I'm really looking forward to working with this squad. You're a contender for every trophy with these players. It is a big commitment."
