Brighton & Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi has distanced himself from reports linking him to the soon-to-be vacant Bayern Munich job by insisting he wants to stay where he is.
The Italian's name has been circulated as Bayern look to replace Thomas Tuchel, who will leave at the end of the season after surrendering the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen.
De Zerbi has also been linked with taking over Manchester United, Liverpool and Barcelona having drawn praise for his side's elegant yet risky brand of football down on the south coast, and although resulst have dipped in 2024 - with Brighton struggling to balance domestic duties and injuries to key players with their exploits in the Europa League - his stock remains high.
But in an interview with Sky Sports, De Zerbi has revealed he'd like to stay put for now, detailing his affinity to his current employers.
"I would like to stay in Brighton because I love my players, I love this city, I love my club and my fans," he explained. "I said in the meeting with the fans, if I am happy there isn't a club that can bring myself to change team.
"I need to find the balance between my heart and my head. And there is a part of myself who pushes with the heart, and the other is more calm to analyse better the situation."
Brighton have slipped to 12th in the Premier League table after losing four of their last six games, while the only goal they scored in the entire month of March came courtesy of an own goal from Burnley goalkeeper Arijanet Muric.
Nevertheless, a top-half finish can still be achieved as Brighton have games in hand on the teams immediately above them in the standings. They will, however, need to get results against sides who are placed higher in the league - Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Manchester United, managed by the increasingly under pressure Erik ten Hag.
