NEW Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel wants to reunite with Chelsea aces Edouard Mendy and Mateo Kovacic, reports suggest.
Tuchel took over at Bayern after his shock dismissal from the Blues in September and has replaced Julian Nagelsmann, who was also suddenly sacked.
According to Calciomercato, the ex-Borussia Dortmund boss is already planning ahead for the summer transfer window and wants to start with two of his former Chelsea players.
Mendy has fallen out of favour under the German head coach's successor Graham Potter, who prefers Kepa Arrizabalaga between the sticks.
The Senegal international has a contract with the West Londoners until 2025 but is among the lowest earners at Stamford Bridge.
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SunSport recently revealed that the 31-year-old turned down a six-year deal because he felt the club did not show him enough "respect" over wages.
Kovacic, on the other hand, has a deal that runs out next year and Potter will be looking to make some space on his inflated squad after a busy January market.
The 47-year-old head coach is a big fan of the midfielder but his contract runs out soon and that casts doubt over his future.
Chelsea are also facing the prospect of losing highly-rated assistant coach Anthony Barry.
The new Bayern manager publicly expressed his desire to sign Barry and have him reunite with his other assistants Zsolt Low and Arno Michels.
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Tuchel, though, is now focused on the task at hand as Bayern are in the Champions League quarter-finals and are chasing Bundesliga table-toppers Dortmund, who are just one point ahead.
Reports suggest Nagelsmann was suddenly dismissed for various reasons, such as a lack of player development and "negative sporting development".
Club chiefs also felt like there was "too much theatre [and a] lack of results", with some players even "complaining" about the German tactician.