Hoffenheim coach Julian Nagelsmann to join Leipzig next year
LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) Hoffenheim coach Julian Nagelsmann will stay one more season with the club before taking over Bundesliga rival Leipzig.
Leipzig says the 30-year-old Nagelsmann has agreed on a deal effective from mid-2019 to 2023.
Hoffenheim says Nagelsmann is making use of a release clause in his contract, which was due to run to 2021, to join its rival.
''It was important for me to achieve clarity early,'' Nagelsmann is quoted as saying on Hoffenheim's website. ''Everyone knows that I will give my all for Hoffenheim to the last second to achieve our ambitious goals.''
Leipzig did not say who would act as interim coach to replace Ralph Hasenhuettl, who quit in May after failing to reach agreement on extending his contract. It is likely sporting director Ralf Rangnick will again take over the coaching role as a stop-gap measure.
Nagelsmann, the German soccer federation's coach of the year for 2016, is highly regarded and had been linked with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund last season.
Hoffenheim was fighting relegation when Nagelsmann, then 29, took over as the league's youngest coach in February 2016. He led the club to fourth place and European qualification in 2017 and then third for Champions League qualification this year.
