Former Bayern Midfielder Claims Ancelotti Will Leave in January After Signing Contract With CSL Side

Former Bayern Munich midfielder Mario Basler has claimed that Carlo Ancelotti could leave the club in January.

The Italian coach has been in charge of the Bundesliga champions for just one year, having arrived from Real Madrid last summer.

But Basler has now revealed that, according to his sources, Ancelotti could make a surprise switch to the Far East midway through the season.

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“I’ve heard that Ancelotti has signed a contract with a Chinese club,” Basler said, quoted by Football Italia.

“From what I know he will leave in the winter because that is when the season starts in China.”

He added: “I can’t confirm it to be 100 per cent true, but my source is reliable.

“Let’s put it this way, I can’t say anything negative about my source, which I trust. It’s not a given that it will happen, but that is the rumour going around.”

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There have been no indications that Ancelotti's exit is imminent, although Bayern did suffer their first defeat of the Bundesliga season against Hoffenheim on Saturday.

"It was a difficult game. We tried a lot and had some chances," Ancelotti said following the 2-0 loss. "This happens in football. Hoffenheim had three chances and scored twice. Overall, we were not concentrated enough.

"The performance was okay, but we were not at 100 per cent, and 95 per cent is not enough. But in some situations we were not fully focused. We did not have much space and tried to open the room, but that did not work so well today. But sometimes this happens."