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Former Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp has been without a managerial role since stepping down as Liverpool manager at the end of the 2023-24 season.
The German coach, now 58, is reported to be a target for Real Madrid and currently serves as Red Bull’s head of global soccer. Klopp has admitted he cannot rule out a return to management, amid growing links with Real Madrid.
“I’m in a place, as a person, where I’m completely at peace with where I am. I don’t want to be somewhere else,” Klopp told AFP. “I don’t get up and excited if Real Madrid are showing interest.
“If they would be, but it’s the media. Do I want to coach again? At the moment, I would say no, but I cannot say never, never, never. I don’t expect to change my mind, but I don’t know.”
Klopp ended his nine-year tenure at Liverpool after transforming the club into a powerhouse, winning every major trophy, including Liverpool’s first Premier League title in 30 years and a sixth Champions League.
He cited managerial exhaustion as the reason for leaving, marking the end of the longest Liverpool managerial spell since Bob Paisley.
Flamengo president Luiz Eduardo Baptista has suggested the club could target a top European coach like Klopp if Filipe Luis departs. Luis has drawn attention from European clubs after leading Flamengo to five titles since his appointment in October 2024.
The former Atlético Madrid and Chelsea defender, who extended his contract in December, has expressed a desire to coach in Europe. Under Filipe Luis, Flamengo won the 2025 Brazilian Serie A, Copa Libertadores, Campeonato Carioca, and Brazil Supercopa.
“Filipe isn’t thinking about Flamengo 10 years from now,” Baptista told Diario AS. “His career might continue at Flamengo, but it might not.
“Just as Filipe can consider Europe, why couldn’t Flamengo consider a European coach? If I can bring in Lucas Paquetá, why couldn’t I bring in Klopp? Why couldn’t I bring in another coach?”
“These days, what can happen is this: just as Filipe can say no to a European club because he doesn’t want to go to a European club, but rather to a specific country, a European coach could also say he doesn’t want to leave Europe to go to Flamengo.
“But obviously, we’ll have to meet the financial and economic requirements. This world is changing very quickly. I work day after day to make the decision to leave Flamengo difficult for those who are here, and to make it an easy decision for those who want to come.”
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