• AFC Bournemouth are now the leading candidates to sign RB Leipzig captain David Raum.
• The 27-year-old left-back has entered the final year of his contract with the German club.
• New Cherries manager Marco Rose previously worked with Raum at Leipzig.
• Raum will delay any decision until after representing Germany at the World Cup.

David Raum could be heading to the Premier League this summer. The RB Leipzig captain has just 12 months remaining on his current deal, making a transfer likely.

According to reports from Sport Bild, Bournemouth are now the favourites to win the race for his signature. The Cherries are preparing for life under new head coach Marco Rose, who already knows Raum well from their time together at the Red Bull Arena.

The 27-year-old defender is reportedly attracted to the idea of playing in England. However, he does not plan to make a final choice until after the World Cup. Raum wants to concentrate on international duty with Germany first. After the tournament ends, he will sit down with Leipzig officials to discuss his future.

Should Raum leave, the Bundesliga side already have a plan in place. Young defender Max Finkgräfe is seen as a potential replacement at left-back. Several other clubs may also join the bidding if Raum impresses on the global stage.

• VfB Stuttgart’s late equaliser against Hoffenheim has tightened the race for Champions League qualification spots.
• Bayer Leverkusen can climb to fourth place if they defeat RB Leipzig at the BayArena on Saturday.
• Both managers have named their starting elevens for this important encounter.

The battle for Champions League football in the Bundesliga reaches a crucial stage this weekend. Bayer Leverkusen welcome RB Leipzig to the BayArena for a high-stakes fixture.

The match carries extra weight following Friday’s results. VfB Stuttgart rescued a point against Hoffenheim with a late goal. This outcome affects the standings for both sides in the top-four race.

The visitors currently sit seven points clear of their hosts. However, a victory for Xabi Alonso’s side would see them leapfrog into fourth position. Leverkusen defeated Leipzig earlier this season, and completing the double would boost their European ambitions significantly.

Bayer Leverkusen Starting XI: Flekken; Quansah, Andrich (C), Tapsoba; Arthur, Aleix García, Palacios, Grimaldo; Maza, Culbreath; Schick

RB Leipzig Starting XI: Vandevoordt; Baku, Orban, Bitshiabu, Finkgräfe; Seiwald; Schlager (C), Baumgartner; Diomande, Romulo, Nusa

• Marco Rose will become AFC Bournemouth head coach when the season ends.
• The 49-year-old German has penned a three-year contract.
• Outgoing boss Andoni Iraola still has five games to seal a European spot.

AFC Bournemouth have announced that German coach Marco Rose will take charge at the Vitality Stadium this summer. Rose, who has been without a club since leaving RB Leipzig in March, will replace Andoni Iraola when the Spaniard’s deal expires.

Rose, 49, has agreed a three-year contract. It will be his first role in the Premier League. He has past experience in the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund, where he worked with stars Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham. His high-pressing game is expected to suit Bournemouth’s energetic style.

The club praised Rose’s record in Europe, noting he has led Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Dortmund and Leipzig. A brief statement said every member of the squad and back-room team is focused on the final five matches. The side are unbeaten in 13 league games and sit level on points with Chelsea in the race for a Europa League place.

Iraola, who took over in 2023, could still guide the Cherries into Europe for the first time before he departs. The Basque coach has won plaudits for turning Bournemouth into a top-half side on a modest budget.

• Marco Rose will become Bournemouth head coach when Andoni Iraola departs this summer.
• The 49-year-old German has signed a three-year contract and arrives without a compensation fee.
• Bournemouth sit eighth in the Premier League and still hope to reach Europe for the first time.

Marco Rose has accepted an offer to lead Bournemouth from next season after the club confirmed Andoni Iraola will leave in June.

The 49-year-old tactician, currently out of work following his March exit from RB Leipzig, will sign a three-year deal at Vitality Stadium.

Board members drew up a shortlist of three names before settling on Rose. Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna and Rayo Vallecano’s Inigo Perez were also interviewed.

Rose has never coached in England, but he brings Champions League experience gained at Salzburg, Dortmund and Leipzig. During those spells he lifted two Austrian titles, the Austrian Cup, the German Cup and the DFL-Supercup.

Bournemouth praised the appointment yet stressed that the squad must first finish the current campaign in style. The team are unbeaten in 13 league matches and sit just outside the European places on goal difference.

Chief executive Neill Blake said: “We look forward to welcoming Marco in the summer. Right now, every effort is on ending the season strongly.”

Rose started coaching in 2012 with Lokomotive Leipzig and later gave senior debuts to future stars such as Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Dominik Szoboszlai.

His reputation for developing players appeals to Bournemouth, who have regularly sold top talent. Last summer alone, defenders Milos Kerkez, Ilya Zabarnyi and Dean Huijsen left for a combined £150 million, while January saw winger Antoine Semenyo join Manchester City after a release clause was met.

Despite the departures, Iraola’s side have continued to climb the table, and Rose will be expected to maintain that progress while coping with further potential sales.

Because the German is unemployed, Bournemouth will pay no compensation, making the appointment both low-risk and attractive as they chase a maiden European campaign.

• Marco Rose will replace Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth on a three-year deal starting this summer.
• Rose has been without a job since RB Leipzig dismissed him in March 2025.
• Club chiefs say the early announcement lets both men plan for next season while the squad chase Europe.

Bournemouth have named Marco Rose as their next manager. The 49-year-old German will step into the role when Andoni Iraola leaves at the end of the current campaign.

Rose has agreed a three-year contract, allowing the club to shape their summer transfer plans before the new season kicks off. Iraola told the board on 15 April that he would not extend his stay on the south coast, ending a three-year spell that has lifted the side into mid-table and beyond.

The former Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Red Bull Salzburg coach has been out of work since Leipzig sacked him two months ago. Bournemouth moved fast after identifying Rose as the candidate whose high-press, all-action style most closely matches Iraola’s approach.

Chief executive Neill Blake praised the squad’s “fantastic attitude” and said the early appointment “gives everyone clarity” while the team try to stretch a 13-match unbeaten run that could yet carry them into European contention.

Iraola has long admired Rose’s tactical work, once citing the German’s Gladbach side as one of his favourite teams to watch because “every player defends and attacks together”. Bournemouth hope that shared philosophy will ease the handover and keep momentum rolling into next season.

• AFC Bournemouth have agreed in principle to hire German coach Marco Rose.
• Rose, 49, is free after leaving RB Leipzig in March and can start work at once.
• He will replace Andoni Iraola, who will exit when his deal ends this summer.

AFC Bournemouth are ready to hand the reins to Marco Rose for next season. Talks with the German tactician have gone well and a basic deal is now in place.

Rose has been without a club since March, so no compensation is needed. That fact helped Bournemouth’s head of football operations, Tiago Pinto, act fast once current boss Andoni Iraola said he wants a new challenge.

The club first looked at Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna, but his large release clause forced them to switch targets. Rose, who has taken three Bundesliga sides to the Champions League, became the clear choice.

Iraola will leave a solid base. The Cherries shocked Arsenal last weekend and still dream of a first-ever European spot, even after selling key defenders and January star Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City.

Smart signings have kept the squad strong. Rose’s first task may be to fend off bids for midfield linchpin Alex Scott, wanted by Chelsea and others.

The 49-year-old has previously worked with top talents like Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham at Borussia Dortmund, and also managed Borussia Mönchengladbach and Red Bull Salzburg.

• Bournemouth are set to name Marco Rose as their new manager when Andoni Iraola leaves this summer.
• Rose, 49, has been out of work since RB Leipzig sacked him in March and has never coached in England.
• The German has past spells at Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Red Bull Salzburg.

Bournemouth expect to confirm Marco Rose as the club’s next head coach once the season ends.

Officials told media on Tuesday that current boss Andoni Iraola will step down after the final match, and talks with Rose are now at an advanced stage.

Club chiefs had already drawn up a shortlist. Alongside Rose, they spoke with Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna and Rayo Vallecano’s Andoni Iraola countryman Iñigo Pérez, but the former RB Leipzig trainer has emerged as the preferred choice.

Rose, who turns 50 later this year, has never worked in English football. He was dismissed by Leipzig in late March after a poor run of results, yet his earlier record at Dortmund, Mönchengladbach and Salzburg shows a clear identity based on hard pressing and quick transitions.

Spurs also considered him in February before deciding on another target, giving Bournemouth a clear path to open negotiations.

Asked about the links, Iraola kept his reply brief: “I know Marco’s name, but it is not my place to comment on the next manager. The board will decide and I will support them.”

Rose began coaching at tiny Lok Leipzig, rose through the Red Bull academy system and won the UEFA Youth League with Salzburg before stepping up to the senior side. He then moved to Germany, where his teams earned praise for aggressive defending and swift counter-attacks.

Statistics this season show Bournemouth already win the ball back more than any other Premier League side, a style that should suit the new man’s methods if the deal is completed as planned.