Shaka Hislop and Alexis Nunes assess Bayern and Dortmund's unconvincing start to the Champions League group stage. Gab Marcotti doesn't read too much into the swirling rumours that Carlo Ancelotti's relationship with Bayern has strained.
MUNICH -- Carlo Ancelotti insists he plans to see out his Bayern Munich contract, saying "it's not time to stop" despite increased speculation he could leave the German champions prematurely.
A source told ESPN FC on Wednesday that the 58-year-old Italian would seek a return to the Premier League if Bayern trigger a break clause in his three-year contract as head coach next summer.
The break clause in Ancelotti's contract at the end of his second season could prompt Bayern to make a change if he fails to challenge for the Champions League title. The German champions exited in the quarterfinals to eventual winners Real Madrid last season, following three successive semifinal defeats to Spanish teams under Pep Guardiola.
But speaking at a news conference ahead of Bayern's Bundesliga game against Mainz, Ancelotti said he was happy to stay on for his full contract.
"I prefer not to speak about my contract, but I can say my contract ends on 30 June 2019," he said.
Asked specifically about the links to England, he added: "I want to say I am happy to be here and stay until the end of my contract.
"I hope to continue here but after that if I am not here I have to find another solution. I was in England for two years; I had a good experience and have good memories of this period.
"But I also can say I was in France [with PSG] too, with a good experience and good memories. And I was in Spain too with good experience and good memories -- and I was also in Italy and Italy is my country.
Carlo Ancelotti has given no clues on where he plans to continue his career after his Bayern contract ends.
After coming under increased pressure in recent weeks, Ancelotti had recently blasted rumours that he could leave for China in the winter as "a joke," but he would not rule out that country as an option either.
"I have never been in China -- just for a few days this summer [on Bayern's preseason tour], so you never know what will happen in the future.
"I don't know which [country] will be my future. At this moment, I am not worried about this; I want to continue to do my job for a long time. It's not time to stop."
Ancelotti also confirmed he had cleared the air with Bayern's longest-serving player, Franck Ribery, who took his time leaving from the far end of the pitch after being substituted against Anderlect on Tuesday, avoiding Ancelotti before launching his shirt into the substitutes' bench.
"I spoke with him, everything is fine and there's no problem," Ancelotti said. "There was an incident but I understand this, we spoke yesterday, no problem."
Mark Lovell covers Bayern Munich for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter: @LovellLowdown.
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Source: espn.co.uk