Jurgen Klopp speaks during a Red Bull interviewplaceholder image
Jurgen Klopp speaks during a Red Bull interview | AFP via Getty Images
Jurgen Klopp left Liverpool in 2024 and is currently in a role with Red Bull.
Jurgen Klopp’s agent has denied that the former Liverpool manager is in talks over a return to the dugout.
Klopp left his role as Anfield boss at the end of the 2023-24 season. He served in the Reds hot seat for nine years, engineering the club’s return to the European elite. Liverpool won seven major trophies under the German, including the Champions League and Premier League - as well as finishing runners-up in both competitions on two occasions.
Klopp’s decision to depart the Reds came as a surprise. But having previously been in charge of Borussia Dortmund and Mainz 05, he suggested that he had brought the curtain down on his coaching career after running out of energy.
After his Liverpool exit, Klopp took up the post as Red Bull’s head of global soccer. But in recent weeks, the 58-year-old has been linked with returning to a managerial role. While he’s said to be wanted by Real Madrid, after they sacked Xabi Alonso in January, it is Los Blancos’ city rivals with whom it has been claimed that Klopp is in talks.
Spanish outlet El Chiringuito suggested that Klopp has been in negotiations with Atletico Madrid over replacing Diego Simeone at the end of the season. Journalist Pipi Estrada said (via Fichajes): “This is a negotiation being handled specifically and personally by the CEO of Apollo, Mark Rowan… This coach told the CEO: 'I like Atlético Madrid's profile.' This gentleman's name is Jürgen Klopp. It's a perfect fit. Besides, he's leaving Red Bull, and he likes Atlético Madrid. But he's not negotiating with Atlético's sporting director; he's negotiating directly with the CEO, the one with the money.
“The biggest thing about this is that Apollo, the new owners of the club, have decided, no matter what, that Simeone won't stay. That's the headline. If they're negotiating with Klopp, it's because they know Simeone is leaving.”
Klopp’s agent Marc Kosicke has the speculation, per winwin.com, and stated that they are ‘stupid rumours’.
Kosicke recently suggested that Klopp turned down Manchester United and Chelsea after leaving Liverpool, although both Premier League outfits denied the claim.
Kosicke said: "Maybe at some point he'll say he needs to smell the locker room again. But at the moment, he's very, very happy in his role. Before joining Red Bull, Jürgen could have coached the United States or England. Probably also Germany, if Julian Nagelsmann hadn't already been there.
"Even Chelsea and Manchester United inquired, although Jürgen had clearly stated that he would not coach any other club in England. These inquiries keep coming. He's extremely happy with what he's achieved. And it's still wonderful to go down in history as one of the few coaches who only managed three clubs and were never fired."
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