The Premier League title-winning manager has long been linked with the Germany job – but says he will take a break from football after leaving Liverpool.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has hinted he is open to signing a new contract with the Premier League champions. But the Reds boss also gave an insight into the intensity of the job as he insisted he will take a break from football after leaving Anfield.
Klopp has guided Liverpool back to the top of world football, having led his side to the Champions League and Premier League titles in consecutive seasons.
With the UEFA Super Cup and Club World sandwiched in between those major trophy triumphs, it’s easy to see why he is regarded as one of the best managers in the game – and why Reds fans are desperate not to lose him.
The 53-year-old is contracted to Liverpool until 2024, having extended his terms in December last year.
If he stays for the full length of his contract he will have been in charge of Liverpool for nine years – two years longer than he was at the helm at both Mainz and Borussia Dortmund in his native Germany.
There has been much speculation that Klopp will be offered his country’s national team job when his time at Liverpool comes to an end.
But the German Football Association may have to wait, as the Reds boss has suggested he will open to extending his stay with the club even beyond his current contract – and who knows how many trophies Liverpool could have won by the time he finally leaves Anfield?
Whatever happens, Klopp maintains he won’t walk straight from the Anfield hotseat into another job.
He says he will need at least a year’s holiday from football after leaving Liverpool – such are the demands of being manager at one of the world’s biggest clubs.
“A lot of people ask me this question,” said Klopp, when asked about a potential contract extension by Leeroy Matata, of Einfach Fussball, on YouTube.
“I have never heard someone ask Pep Guardiola about that but his contract ends next year.
“I’ve got four years left which feels like an eternity in football. A lot can happen during this time.
“I would assume that in four years I will think about whether to renew or not.
“If I don’t renew, I’ll go on holiday. When I leave Liverpool, I won’t take a new job the next day. That’s for sure.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp extended his contract last year (Image: LIVERPOOL FC)
Klopp had been planning to take a year off from football when Fenway Sports Group offered him the Liverpool job in 2015.
With Liverpool’s Premier League title defence continuing away to Chelsea on Sunday ahead of a fresh tilt at the Champions League next month, the manager’s plans for a sabbatical are going to be on hold for some time yet.
When that time does arrive, Reds fans will no doubt be sorry to see him go – but he will certainly have earned his holiday.
Klopp takes his Liverpool side to face Frank Lampard’s Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday with a 4.30pm kick-off