Coach urges Ballack to commit as soon as possible

Jul 10, 2005, 17:00 GMT

Munich, Germany - Bayern Munich coach Felix Magath has urged Germany captain Michael Ballack to end speculation about his future by committing himself to the club.

"There should be clarity as soon as possible. Michael Ballack knows that he is not any player. He is the man whom we want to see being at the centre of our game in the future," Magath told Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

Bayern manager Uli Hoeness, on the other hand, said that he was not concerned that negotiations about Ballack's contract - that ends at the end of the season - were continuing.

"There is no deadline," Hoeness said in the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

As Ballack himself has said he is considering a move away from Germany and is supposedly being wooed by Manchester United, Bayern has indicated they are keen to extend the contract.

Magath is the second Bayern official after president Franz Beckenbauer to have said that the 28-year-old should commit himself to the team.

"There is no question that we want to continue working with Ballack for the next few years. We are certain that Ballack and the club are suited to each other. If he does not want to extend his contract, we will have to look for another player. That is why we need his decision - and not next year."

The club is aware that negotiations will not be very easy. "A lot of money will be at stake," said executive director, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. "But we are very interested in continuing the relationship beyond 2006. We will do everything possible to ensure that."

Hoeness said that he accepts Ballack's attempts to strengthen his position by saying he might leave. "That is legitimate. Ballack knows that his next contract is the most important of his life. He is attempting to bring himself into a good position."

The former German international added that he thought there was a good chance that Ballack would stay. "I think he and his family enjoy being in Munich. He is in a good side and he will realise that there is a lot of potential in the team. He is getting recognition and will surely not need to worry about his financial security if he signs with us."

Bild am Sonntag said that Ballack is looking for a contract worth ten million euros per year.

At the end of next season, 11 Bayern players will be out of contract, including former German captain Oliver Kahn. "That is also something which we do not need to rush into, especially as we have an excellent second keeper in Michael Rensing," Hoeness said.

His contract ends at the end of next year. "But it could well be that I will extend for five years, all options are open," he said, adding that he was also considering extending the contract with Magath, who is bound to the club till 2007.