Thomas Tuchel makes Chelsea admission and responds to Premier League return links

Thomas Tuchel has refused to answer whether he could return to Chelsea this summer as speculation continues regarding a potential Stamford Bridge homecoming.

Tuchel is set to leave his role as Bayern Munich head coach at the end of the season, having reached an agreement with the club to bring an early end to his contract that was due to expire in 2025.

Chelsea could be on the lookout for a new coach in the immediate future after growing calls for Mauricio Pochettino to depart in recent weeks and months, raising the possibility of moving for Tuchel as a replacement.

The Blues' form has picked up of late, however, ensuring there remains an opportunity to secure European football for the following campaign. Failure to do so would then significantly ramp up the pressure on Pochettino.

Links to Tuchel are unlikely to die down this summer as the 50-year-old considers his next step in the game. Commenting publicly on what he expects to happen this summer regarding his future, Tuchel remarked: “It’s very, very, very unlikely that it’s at Bayern, I have to say, because we have an agreement, there is at the moment no reason to doubt this agreement. We took this position, the initiative came from the club, and so it is and I’m fine with it.

“I don’t need it for the extra percentage of competitiveness because I’m always up for a win, I’m always thinking how to improve the squad or how to improve myself in coaching. We go all in. Does it have an influence on where I am next season? Maybe not, maybe I’m on holiday no matter what, let’s see, let’s see.”

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Pushed further on whether he could go back to the Premier League, the Bayern boss told TNT Sports: “I’d rather not answer but it is no secret that I loved it at Chelsea, I loved it in England and I loved it in the Premier League for sure, it was a very, very special time and I remember it very well.”

Coming out fighting over his own future after last Thursday's 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, Pochettino told reporters: "I’ve had enough of these stupid rumours. You need to ask the club, whether the club wants me to keep going or not.

“If I have one more year on my contract here and no one says anything, then I suppose that I am going to be here. If there's a decision and someone says to me 'ciao', okay. But we don't know at the moment”.