Chelsea assistant coach Anthony Barry has agreed to stay away from the club's Cobham training ground while the Blues attempt to thrash out a deal which would allow him to reunite with Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich.
Barry worked closely with Tuchel during the German's previous stint at Stamford Bridge before he was ruthlessly axed just three months after the club were purchased by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital last year.
After several months out of the game, Tuchel was confirmed as the new head coach of Bayern Munich late last week - and the 49-year-old has moved quickly to try and persuade his former Chelsea colleague to join him in the Bundesliga.
It emerged on Tuesday morning, via German outlet BILD, that Barry was keen on the idea of moving abroad and had submitted a 'transfer request' to Chelsea. Now, a fresh report from The Telegraph has claimed that Barry has agreed to stay away from training until further notice while a deal is worked out.
Although Bayern have tabled a compensation offer for the Blues coach, the amount falls 'well short' of Chelsea's valuation of the 36-year-old, meaning Barry will have to bide his time in the hope an agreement can be reached.
The Chelsea hierarchy are thought to be less than enthused with Tuchel after he went public with his plans to lure Barry to Munich in his first Bayern press conference. He said: “My coaching staff wasn't prepared either, so a big thank you to their families for their flexibility. Arno Michels and Zsolt Löw, who have been working with me for over ten years, will be there. We're hoping to add Anthony Barry, who is currently at Chelsea.”
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Barry, who was initially brought to the club by Frank Lampard, is highly-rated at Chelsea, who gave him permission to take up a dual role with Portugal earlier this month. The Blues coach has also held roles at Wigan and with the Republic of Ireland national team and is regarded as a set-piece specialist.
Intriguingly, Chelsea could come face-to-face with Tuchel - and Barry if a deal is agreed - in the Champions League if the Londoners and Bayern Munich both progress past the quarter-finals, which are due to begin next month.
Tuchel won the Champions League with Chelsea just months after replacing Lampard back in January 2021 and will be hoping to emulate that feat with Bayern after succeeding Julian Nagelsmann.
Chelsea face the daunting prospect of a two-tied meeting with current European champions Real Madrid for a place in the tournament semi-finals while Tuchel will renew his rivalry with Pep Guardiola when Bayern lock horns with Premier League champions Manchester City.
