Michael Laudrup was leading contender for Barcelona manager job, agent claims

Aditya Devavrat 13:17 16/03/2018
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  • Michael Laudrup.

    Michael Laudrup was a leading contender for the Barcelona job last summer, according to his agent.

    Bayram Tutumlu says the Dane was in fact Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu’s preferred choice to replace Luis Enrique, ahead of Ernesto Valverde and current Celta Vigo manager Juan Carlos Unzue.

    “In May, my adviser Evren Sahin and I invited the owner of Brondby, Jan Bech Andersen, to visit my good friend Josep Maria Bartomeu in Barcelona,” Tutumlu told Danish media (h/t Marca).

    “Bartomeu told me that Laudrup was one of his favorites to replace Luis Enrique.

    “But the club finally chose Ernesto Valverde.”

    Laudrup, the former Barcelona midfielder who also played for Real Madrid, also had offers to return to Europe last summer, Tutumlu revealed. The 53-year-old former Swansea manager has also previously been approached by Atletico Madrid and PSG.

    He’s currently managing Al-Rayyan in Qatar, with his contract up at the end of the season.

    “I have received calls from Germany, Spain, France, Italy and England,” Tutumlu claimed. “It depends on him and where he wants to be a coach in Europe again.”

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