Carlo Ancelotti denies rumors claiming a China move

On Tuesday, Bayern Munich coach, Carlo Ancelotti, strongly denied the rumors about him accepting a job in China.

Former Bayern star, Mario Basler, was the one that spread the gossip by telling Sport1 that he had heard from a “very trustworthy source” that the Italian already had a pre-contract agreement with a CSL side.

'A few days ago, I heard that Carlo Ancelotti has already signed a contract for a club abroad starting in the winter,' said Basler earlier this week. 'Apparently he's already signed a pre-contract at the place where the most money is -- in China.

“From what I understand, he could leave as soon as January because that is when the season in China starts. I cannot confirm it 100 per cent but my source is very trustworthy.'

Ancelotti: “This is a joke”

At a pre-match news conference for Tuesday’s Champions League Group B opener against Anderlecht, which Bayern won 3-0, the 58-year-old Italian dismissed Basler’s words.

'I am supposed to be here to speak about serious things. This is a joke,' he said. 'You have to ask Basler if he is so convinced. I think it is a joke. You know the problem is few people understand it's a joke -- a lot of people have taken it seriously.'

In other news…

Aside from this declaring the China rumors a joke, Ancelotti confirmed that Jerome Boateng would return to the squad for the match against Anderlecht.

Boateng hadn't played since the final game of last season, in which he suffered a muscle injury.

However, David Alaba, Juan Bernat and Arturo Vidal were all unavailable for Bayern’s opening Champions League match.

As usual, Bayern began the 2017/18 domestic campaign as favorites for the title.

Unexpectedly, this Saturday, Ancelotti’s team suffered a 2-0 defeat against Hoffenheim, which left them in sixth place.