Former Germany boss and World Cup winner Jurgen Klinsmann will take over as coach of Bayern Munich next season.

Klinsmann will replace Ottmar Hitzfeld, who is due to step down from the post at the end of the current campaign.

The appointment marks Klinsmann's first foray into club coaching after he guided host nation Germany to third place at the 2006 World Cup.

He had been linked with the vacant Newcastle job and, earlier in the season, with Chelsea and Tottenham.

The 43-year-old was also viewed as a dark horse to succeed Steve McClaren as England national coach before the appointment of Fabio Capello.

He won 108 caps for his country. He scored 47 goals for Germany, 11 of which came in three World Cup campaigns.

Klinsmann featured in the 1990 World Cup-winning team and was then captain for the successful Euro 96 campaign.

He enjoyed a successful stint as a player with Bayern between 1995 and 1997, winning Uefa Cup and Bundesliga honours.

His managerial career is still in its infancy. After a period involved in Major League Soccer in the USA he returned to coach Germany in 2004.

The Bayern job is his first with a high-profile club.