Luca Toni hints at Bayern exit

Unhappy Italy striker Luca Toni has hinted that he may leave Bayern Munich in the January transfer window despite assertions from club president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge that no strikers will be sold.

Toni has suffered a frustrating start to the season after injured and a spell with the reserves before finally being reintroduced to the first team last week.

In an interview with the Gazzetta dello Sport, he suggested he sees his future away from Bavaria.

“I have had four terrible months, it was clear things weren’t going well with the coach and now I’m delighted to be back playing and to have been complimented by the club,” he said.

“That shows that I’ve worked calmly despite the problems. However I don’t feel like saying I’ll stay in the winter.

“It depends on the situation. Right now I’m just thinking about scoring and then we’ll think about the future.

“But it’s clear that I want to play because this is an important year.”

World Cup winner Toni has not been selected for Italy in recent games and is worried that a prolonged absence from the Bayern team could affect his chances of playing in South Africa next year.

However, should he choose to leave, he may find Rummenigge blocking his path.

“No strikers will be sold in January,” he said. “I’ve never considered letting Toni leave on loan and only on Monday (coach Luis) Van Gaal told me that he was happy with his rehabilitation.”

Toni, who struggled with an achilles tendon injury and missed pre-season training, is fighting for a place against Bayern’s rising star Thomas Mueller, Croatia’s Ivica Olic and Germany strikers Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez.