Jurgen Klopp’s agent insists the outgoing Liverpool boss will not throw his hat in the ring to succeed Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich this summer.
Having shocked fans by announcing his intention to leave Liverpool at the end of the season, Klopp has repeatedly outlined his desire to take a sabbatical, saying he is “running out of energy”.
However, some had tentatively suggested he could be tempted by a return to his homeland, with the biggest job in German football becoming available ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
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On Wednesday, Bayern announced Tuchel will leave the Allianz Arena at the end of the season, having come under fierce pressure following a run of three straight defeats for the Bavarian giants.
Bayern are currently eight points adrift of unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen at the Bundesliga summit, while they also lost 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Lazio last week.
New direction for the new season: FC Bayern and Thomas Tuchel to end their working relationship in the summer.
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— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) February 21, 2024
Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso is reportedly the top target for both Liverpool and Bayern, though the Bundesliga giants have long held an interest in Klopp. However, he remains committed to taking a year off.
Speaking to Sky Sports in Germany, Klopp’s agent Marc Kosicke said: “Jurgen will not coach any club or national team for a year after this current season. That remains unchanged.”
Should Bayern miss out on Alonso, their former boss Hansi Flick and highly-rated Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness have also been touted as potential successors to Tuchel.
With Leverkusen hosting Mainz on Friday, Bayern could be 11 points adrift at the Bundesliga summit by the time they next take to the field, against RB Leipzig on Saturday.
They then go to Freiburg before welcoming Lazio to the Allianz Arena for the second leg of their Champions League tie on March 5, looking to avoid a humiliating early European exit.
Darwin, Macca, Mo and Cody all on target ????
Go behind the scenes of our 4-1 away victory ???? Brentford ????
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 19, 2024
