Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that he will hold talks with the German football association (DFB) over succeeding Julian Nagelsmann as Germany manager.
Nagelsmann resigned from his post aftere four-time champions were beaten by Paraguay in a penalty shootout, meaning they have once again failed to win a knockout game at the World Cup since being crowned champions in 2014.
Former Liverpool manager Klopp has immediately been earmarked as Germany’s desired replacement, with the DFB confirming: “Regarding the appointment of a new coach, the DFB leadership will now seek talks with Jürgen Klopp. He has already signaled his general willingness to take on the position.”
Klopp has responded to the speculation linking him with a switch to the Germany setup by confirming his interest and, as quoted by Sky Sports Germany, says only “time” is needed until an agreement is reached.
However, there is the issue of Klopp’s current role. He is Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer, a position he has held since January 2025, which involves him overseeing Red Bull’s network of clubs—including RB Leipzig, Red Bull Salzburg, and the New York Red Bulls.
It is understood that there is a clause in his contract allowing him to leave if the German national manager role was available, but Klopp is still keen to leave on good terms.
“I have an existing contract with Red Bull. I like to honour contracts,” he said. “But I am interested in having talks. They will have to be intensive talks.
“I also need to talk to my boss Oliver Mintzlaff. He cares deeply about German football. Red Bull needs to come out of this cleanly. It’s not that easy to step away from it.”
Germany are in the midst of a footballing crisis following their shock exit to Paraguay, which was also their first ever shootout defeat at the tournament.
It came after an indifferent group stage campaign, which saw Nagelsmann’s team hammer Curacao 7-1 in their opening match before looking unconvincing against Ivory Coast and Ecuador, the latter of which they lost.
Klopp recognises that Germany’s current problems are “not tied to the person of Julian Nagelsmann” and is keen take the country in a good direction, currently faced with a “turning point”.
“We now need to fundamentally change things,” he added. “Whether it will ultimately be me or whoever else it is, that changes nothing about the fact that the changes are necessary.”
More recently Klopp has been working as a pundit at the World Cup and said after the Paraguay match that it was not the right time to discuss his future.
