Germany officials confident Klopp will be next national team coach

ATLANTA (AP) — Germany officials have held talks with Jurgen Klopp and both sides are confident he will take over as coach, the national soccer federation said Saturday.

Former coach Julian Nagelsmann resigned after his team failed to make the round of 16 for the third World Cup running.

Klopp, a serial trophy winner with Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund, was quickly identified as the favorite to succeed him.

The German federation said talks were held in New York on Friday with Klopp, who is currently in an executive role as head of global soccer for the Red Bull group.

“In the constructive exchange, an understanding was reached on essential key points of a potential contract,” it said. “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 been working as a pundit on German TV at the World Cup, even taking part in postgame interviews with Nagelsmann at the side of the field.

He has not been a coach since leaving Liverpool in 2024 after winning a full set of trophies with the iconic club, including the Champions League and Premier League.

“About two years ago I stopped at Liverpool and said that I lacked the energy for another job or for another year with Liverpool. Since then I’m more than recharged, I’m ready,” he told German broadcaster Magenta TV last week.

Germany has repeatedly failed at the World Cup since winning the trophy for the fourth time in 2014.

Since then it was eliminated at the group stage in 2018 and 2022. Germany advanced beyond the group stage at this year's expanded 48-team format, but was knocked out by Paraguay on penalties in the newly-introduced round of 32.

Klopp held talks with German federation president Bernd Neuendorf and vice president Hans-Joachim Watzke.

The 59-year-old has been regarded as one of the game's top coaches since breaking Bayern Munich's dominance of German soccer by winning two league titles with Borussia Dortmund.

He took over at Liverpool in 2015 and ended the Merseyside club's 30-year wait for an English league title in 2020.

He also won the Champions League among seven major trophies during his time at Anfield. He might have won more if not for the fact he was competing against a dominant Manchester City under Pep Guardiola.