Imminent Flick departure set to heighten Klopp to Bayern Munich talk

Jurgen Klopp TEAMtalk

Hansi Flick looks increasingly likely to leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season to take up the position left by Joachim Low at the DFB.

That will leave the Bundesliga champions looking for a new coach – their third since Niko Kovac departed in November 2019. And one man who has been linked with a return to Germany is Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.

As far back as April 2019, before Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Bayern in the last 16 of the Champions League, Bayern chief Franz Beckenbauer said that the former Borussia Dortmund coach would be an ideal appointment in Munich.

“Jurgen Klopp at FC Bayern. That would be the highlight. Jurgen was the one who taught the Germans how to play football quickly,” he said.

Klopp however was not thinking about the future, but did stop short of ruling out a move to Bayern at some stage.

“I have a contract at Liverpool until 2022. And no one here has the feeling that we should end it – neither from the side of the owner nor my side,” Klopp told German paper Die Welt.

“I do not know (about managing Bayern). There’s a long way to go.

“Basically, football is like this: The opportunity has to be right, and the timing has to be right.

“But I’m totally happy here and do not feel like I’m finished here. Our team has a good age structure and we can work together for a while.”

More recently though Klopp has been reported as a “dream” target for Bayern.

90min reported that “Bayern are prepared to see just how committed Jurgen Klopp is to Liverpool this summer”.

Ironically Klopp has also been mentioned as a suitor to replace Low as the German national team boss.

Flick though looks all set to take on that role, ever since Low announced last month that he will be standing down after the Euros.

Asked about his future and relationship with sporting director Hasan ‘Brazzo’ Salihamidzic after Bayern exited the Champions League on away goals to PSG on Tuesday, he said (as cited by TZ): “It’s not about Brazzo or me. It’s about the entire club. He does his job, I do my job.


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Matthaus: Flick to take Germany role

“We focus on what is most important for the club. I’m clearly focused on the team. We have to go all-in today. It doesn’t mean that we’re running headless, but playing wisely. To make courageous decisions, to think along for others. Every single fibre in the body must want victory.”

Flick then told Sky Germany: “I have a contract with FC Bayern, but I always think about what’s going to happen or how things will continue, whether everything is going well here and so on. My family is behind me, no matter what my decision is, whether it is at the DFB.”

Bayern legend Lothar Matthaus believes Flick will be taking over from Low this summer.

Matthaus told Sky Germany: “That was Hansi Flick’s last Champions League game as coach of Bayern. He is first choice at the DFB to succeed Joachim Low. He will accept the offer in the summer.”

Just where that will leave Klopp remains to be seen. The German has always maintained he will see out his contract, which expires in June 2022. He may well have a decision to make if Bayern come knocking on his door.

The 53-year-old will move on at some point in the future and the Independent has reported that Liverpool are contractually bound to offer him help to move back to his native Germany.

READ MORE: Klopp reveals honest feelings about press conferences during Real Madrid briefing