Labbadia to leave Wolfsburg at end of the season

BERLIN -- Bruno Labbadia will not extend his expiring contract and will leave Wolfsburg at the end of the season, both sides confirmed on Tuesday.

The 53-year-old head coach informed those responsible at Wolfsburg that he would not extend his contract, which is set to run until June 2019.

"The timing of Bruno Labbadia's decision surprised us as we would have liked to complete our open talks. It is a pity but we respect his decision," Wolfsburg's sporting director Jorg Schmadtke said.

Labbadia joined the Wolves in February 2018 to help the struggling club to maintain their top-flight status. He has been able to establish Wolfsburg in the mid-table in the current Bundesliga season.

"In the past few weeks I have been thinking about my future. I have now come to the conclusion that I am no longer available for Wolfsburg after the summer. I have made this decision because our ideas do not agree entirely," Labbadia told the club's official homepage.

Wolfsburg sit currently on the seventh place of the Bundesliga standings, only three points adrift of the international business. They encounter newly-promoted Fortuna Dusseldorf at the 26th round on Saturday.