AZ´s Van Gaal to take over at Bayern: report

Louis Van Gaal, the coach of newly crowned Dutch champions AZ Alkmaar, is set to take over at Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, according to reports on Saturday.

According to Algemeen Dagblad newspaper Van Gaal has already agreed terms with the German champions to take over as of next season and will make an official announcement in the coming days.

The report added that Andries Jonker, the current technical director of Dutch side Willem II Tilburg and who was Van Gaal’s assistant at Spanish giants Barcelona from 1997 to 2000, will join Van Gaal at Bayern.

AZ president Dirk Scheringa declared last Monday the club would not allow Van Gaal to leave the club.

“Louis is under contract until 2010,” Scheringa told the website of Dutch magazine sportweek.nl.

“I’m not worried about anything as Van Gaal is a man of principle who always respects his contracts. And we’ve not been contacted by Bayern.”

Bayern’s general manager Uli Hoeness had claimed Van Gaal was close to agreeing to a deal that would see him replace Jurgen Klinsmann, who sacked two weeks ago after a string of mediocre performances.

Saturday’s report said representatives of both clubs are set to thrash out a compensation package that would allow Van Gaal to join Bayern, where he could be joined by AZ captain and midfielder Stijn Schaars.

AZ recently failed in their bid to have Schaars, a 25-year-old Dutch international, sign an extra year’s extension on to his contract, which expires in a year.

Dutchmen Dick Advocaat and Co Adriaanse are being tipped to succeed Van Gaal at AZ.