Any hopes Liverpool and Manchester United have of landing Christoph Freund as their next sporting director will have to be put on hold indefinitely.
The Bayern Munich executive is understood to be more than satisfied with his current role at the Allianz Arena, Christian Falk revealed in his exclusive column with CaughtOffside.
“It is said that Manchester United and perhaps also Liverpool FC have their eye on Christoph Freund in their search for a new sporting director,” the head of football at the BILD group wrote.
“But: FC Bayern’s new sports director just came from Red Bull Salzburg in the summer. He had previously rejected an offer from Chelsea in the past.
“For all English people who can’t estimate the distance between Munich and Salzburg: it’s an hour and a half on the highway, we call “Autobahn”.
“Freund’s family continues to live in Salzburg. Freund is happy that his job is at a top international club and yet not far from his family. That’s why he’s not interested in the current speculation from England.”
Both clubs will be in the market for a key executive to fill the position in question. The former side is set to lose Jorg Schmadtke ahead of the summer window.
Two potentially different roles
It’s worth noting that both outfits may not necessarily be after the exact same profile.
Whilst the arrival of Jim Ratcliffe at Old Trafford indicates a change in program over in Manchester, there’s no clear indication yet that Erik ten Hag’s side will be run with the exact same remit as their rivals across the M62.
Liverpool’s reliance on sustainability and data informing their business in the market means any new arrival replacing Schmadtke must be content with being a cog in the machine rather than the dominant voice in the boardroom.
Over at Carrington, there may be greater scope allowed for a sporting director to have the dominant vote.
Either way, there is no shortage of potential options to keep an eye on from Paul Mitchell to Tim Steidten.