Hansi Flick has confirmed he held talks with Oliver Khan amid reports he could leave Bayern Munich this summer, with Stefan Effenberg warning his departure would be “fatal” for the Bavarian giants.
Flick’s position has been placed in some doubt amid reports of a disagreement with sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.
The imminent vacancy with the German national team has further fuelled the uncertainty, with Flick rumoured to be in contention to succeed Joachim Low when he steps down after the European Championship.
What did Flick say?
Flick hinted that the rumours of a rift between himself and Salihamidzic are true, though stressed he does not think that has to be a barrier to success.
“I prefer harmony [to friction]. But there is never anything that is 100 per cent, so you have to accept both,” he told reporters. “But with harmony - I believe - the chances [of success] are more promising.”
On the content of his talks with Kahn, who sits on the Bayern board and will succeed Karl-Heinz Rummenigge as executive board chairman at the end of the year, he added: "I talked to Oliver Kahn briefly, but about other things.
“It's not as if there's any pressure on me or us. We talked very briefly. We talked about this week and how important this week is.
"We also talked about how we digested the Champions League exit. That's what we talked about - nothing else, not the future."
Despite seemingly being calm about the future, Flick admits he is still hugely frustrated at the side’s Champions League defeat against Paris Saint-Germain, with the French side progressing on away goals despite a 1-0 victory for Bayern in France earlier this week.
"The Champions League exit is still present - this doesn't go away that quickly," he added. "I'm not sleeping great at the moment. I think you can probably tell. The truth is that life continues. We have a big challenge ahead, three important games ahead for our season goals."
What did Effenberg say?
Responding to reports about Flick’s future, Effenberg had a dire warning for Bayern officials should they fail to keep hold of their manager.
"If Hansi Flick voluntarily resigns from his contract in the summer, that would be fatal for the next few years, because he is one of the best Bayern coaches in history," he told the Sport1 Podcast.
The bigger picture
Bayern's early exit from the Champions League has increased the pressure on Flick, while his vague response to reports linking him with the Germany job did little to quell suggestions he is ready to move on at the end of the season.
After leading the club to an unprecedented treble last year, Flick has added the DFB-Supercup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup to his collection this campaign.
With another Bundesliga title - the club's ninth in a row - also looking likely, Flick may feel he has done all he can at the Allianz Arena.
RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann has been tipped as a potential successor, though he was forced to publicly deny reports he had held talks with the club earlier this week.
Former Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri is also on Bayern's potential list of candidates, according to reports in Italy.
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