Julian Nagelsmann will take over at Bayern Munich from 1 July in a deal that makes him the Bundesliga’s most expensive manager, with RB Leipzig receiving compensation that could rise to €25m (£21.7m).
Nagelsmann, who had been prominent on Tottenham’s wishlist, is to succeed Hansi Flick on a five-year contract worth €8m a season before tax. Flick this month announced his intention to leave Bayern at the end of the season.
Bayern and Leipzig confirmed on Tuesday that a deal for Nagelsmann was done. The 33-year-old is in his second season at Leipzig, who look set to finish runners-up to Bayern. Last season he led the team to the Champions League semi-finals, where they lost against Paris Saint-Germain, and third place in the Bundesliga.
Nagelsmann was born in Bavaria and his family still lives near Munich. His only other senior coaching job was with Hoffenheim, who appointed him as first-team manager aged 28. He rejected the chance to coach Bayern Under-23s to continue working his way through the ranks at Hoffenheim.
“Julian Nagelsmann represents a new generation of coaches,” said Bayern’s president, Herbert Hainer, on Tuesdayyesterday. “Despite his young age, he already has an impressive CV. We are convinced that with Julian Nagelsmann, we can continue the magnificent successes of recent years.”
Nagelsmann said he would “leave RB Leipzig with a heavy heart” and identified the Champions League semi-final as the highlight of his tenure. “It was a moment that I’ll never forget,” he said. “We’re currently enjoying the best Bundesliga campaign in the club’s history too. We want to make sure it ends up our best finish and then also lift a major trophy for the first time.”
Leipzig play Werder Bremen on Friday in the German Cup semi-finals.