Jurgen Klopp has agreed in principle to become Germany’s next men’s national team head coach following positive talks with senior football association figures.
The former Liverpool manager met with senior German football association (DFB) officials in New York on Friday to discuss the terms of a potential appointment.
DFB President Bernd Neuendorf and DFB Vice President Hans-Joachim Watzke held the discussions with Klopp, with both parties leaving the meeting in an optimistic mood.
“During the constructive exchange, an agreement was reached on the key points of a potential contract. Talks will continue next week,” the DFB confirmed in an official statement.
The DFB also noted that “both sides are confident that the negotiations – subject to an agreement with Klopp’s current employer, Red Bull – can ultimately be successfully concluded.”
Klopp has served as head of global football at Red Bull since January 2025, and an agreement with that organisation must still be reached before the deal is fully confirmed.
The appointment would mark Klopp’s return to coaching following the end of his nine-year tenure at Liverpool in the summer of 2024, and his first ever role in international management.
He is expected to sign a four-year contract, replacing Julian Nagelsmann, who resigned after Germany suffered an early exit at this summer’s World Cup.
Germany were knocked out in the round of 32, losing to Paraguay on penalties, extending a troubling run of poor performances at major international tournaments in recent years.
The national side failed to progress beyond the group stage at both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, a far cry from the glory of Joachim Low’s fourth World Cup triumph in 2014.
Nagelsmann, who succeeded Hansi Flick in September 2023, had his contract extended to cover Euro 2028, but stepped down following his second major tournament in charge.
Germany did show flickers of promise under Nagelsmann, reaching the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 on home soil before losing in extra-time to eventual winners Spain.
The existing relationship between Klopp and Watzke, 69, who served as Borussia Dortmund chief executive from 2005 until recently stepping down at his own request, is believed to have been central to the swift progress of negotiations.
Klopp has been working as a pundit for German television during the World Cup, despite having repeatedly dismissed speculation linking him with a return to club management.
Most notably, he described reported interest from Real Madrid in March as “all nonsense,” insisting at the time that a comeback was not on his agenda.
During his distinguished club career, Klopp led Liverpool to seven major honours, including the Premier League title in 2019-20 and the Champions League in 2019.
He also guided Borussia Dortmund to two Bundesliga titles between 2008 and 2015, and spent seven years managing Mainz 05, the club where he spent virtually his entire playing career.
