Lahm tells Pepe to stay as Bayern coach

Berlin: Philipp Lahm has told Pep Guardiola that his star-studded Bayern Munich team want him to continue as their coach as the Spaniard enters the final year of his current contract. The 44-year-old will be a free agent as of next June, but Bayern’s chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has long since said he wants to extend the Spaniard’s contract and intends to hold talks to bind Guardiola to the Bavarian giants. Guardiola has won 19 titles in his career as either coach of Barcelona or Bayern, but has been linked to Premier League clubs Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City by reports from the UK media. Under Guardiola, Bayern have won the Bundesliga at a canter for the last two seasons and are on course to become the first German team to win a fourth straight Bundesliga crown.