Pep Guardiola to leave Bayern Munich

Pep Guardiola will leave Bayern Munich in summer after the expiration of his contract and Carlo Ancelotti will take over as new coach, the club announced on Sunday

"We are grateful for everything Guardiola has done for the club and hope we will have a lot of success together in the current season. With Ancelotti, a very successful coach is coming to Bayern. We are looking forward to working together," Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Bayern's chairman, told the "Bild" newspaper on Sunday.

Ancelotti, 56, formerly played for the Italian national team, among other things participating in the 1990 World Cup. He has managed a number of prestigious teams, including Juventus, Chelsea and Real Madrid, which he left in May this year.

His successes include three Champions League and two Club World Cup titles with AC Milan and Real Madrid as coach - both trophies he also won as a Milan player.

Guardiola's departure from Bayern after three years had been widely expected. A number of top Premier League clubs are rumored to be interested in hiring the 44-year-old coach.

The Spaniard, who hails from Catalonia, took over at Bayern from Jupp Heynckes in 2013. He went on to win the Bundesliga twice, the German Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup with the team.

sms/tj (dpa,AFP, SID)